SCP-5536 and the Magical Pebble
by Loken 16
Summary: After a particularly powerful burst of accidental magic destroys Privet Drive, Hailey Potter draws the interest of a secret Muggle organisation dedicated to Securing, Protecting and Containing the anomalous. She soon finds a new family amongst some of the smartest humans and most dangerous entities on the planet, learning that "normal" is often overrated. Fem!Harry No Bashing
1. Chapter 1: The Foundation

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners.**

Hailey Mardas was proud to say that she was perfectly abnormal, thank you very much. If the Dursleys could see her now, joyfully running through a concrete corridor and teleporting through any researchers in her way with a quick "Hi!" and "Sorry!" as Achilles Mardas followed her with a smile on his face, she would have been locked in her cupboard for days without food. Abnormal had no place in the normal world.

But the SCP Foundation was not part of the normal world.

And so Hailey Mardas raced through the straight and orderly halls of Site 19 like a bullet of black hair and child-like excitement, followed closely by her adoptive father. Eventually Achilles caught up to the young girl, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Hailey, what did I say about running through the corridors?" Achilles hissed with a frown on his tanned face. But his green eyes shone with mirth. Hailey met his stare with her own green eyes and a cheeky grin, trying to wriggle out of his hold.

"Only do it during a containment breach!" Hailey replied. A passing researcher laughed quietly to himself.

"But I'm not in containment! Therefore I'm the containment breach!" Hailey finished with a smile. Her pale skin beamed up at him, proud at finding her loophole.

"In that case, I'll have to cancel your playdate and carry you back to your room," Achilles grinned at her, enjoying her shocked expression.

"No! You can't do that!"

"I most certainly can! I'm sure I'd be well compensated for recontaining an escaped SCP. Especially one as annoying as yourself."

"But I want to see Alice! You know how lonely she gets!"

"Then no running in the corridors," Achilles smirked. Hailey pouted and crossed her tiny arms. She gave out a cry of shock as he lifted her up and placed her on his shoulders.

"Hey, put me down! I'm 10! I'm old enough to walk by myself!" Hailey murmured with indignation in her voice. She enjoyed being on Achilles' shoulders. He was tall so she towered over the other adults in the room. But she didn't like how slow he walked. Why couldn't he walk faster! She wanted to see Alice!

"Calm down muffin, we're nearly there," Achilles consoles, reaching up to tossle her shoulder-length hair. She didn't reply, but she leaned down to embrace his head with her small hands. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before going back to holding her legs.

It only took a few more minutes before they arrived at Alice's chamber. Two guards stood on either side of the door. Achilles set Hailey on the ground and nodded towards the guards.

"SCP-053, please step away from the door," the intercom blared as the chamber doors opened with a hiss.

"SCP-5536, please enter the containment chamber."

Hailey turned around to hug Achilles before running into the chamber, giving the guards a wave as she passed. Since it was discovered she wasn't effected by SCP-053, the Site Director had approved numerous "playdates" between the two SCPs. Now Hailey and Alice were practically inseparable. Both girls were roughly the same age, so they could talk about things they wouldn't normally be able to talk with the adults. Hailey was also the only person known to last ten minutes with Alice and not go on a homicidal rampage, which Achilles remarked probably didn't hurt.

He watched with a smile as the two girls gave each other a hug and sitting down on the carpeted floor. Alice whispered something in his ear, before glancing at him and giggling. Achilles sighed as the chamber doors slid shut. Hailey and Alice were convinced he had a crush on Alice's researcher, a blonde woman by the name of Dr. Williams, and had tried numerous times to play matchmaker. Last week, they had faked a containment breach using Hailey's teleportation powers to get them both into an unused containment chamber and sealed the doors, refusing to let them out until they "admitted their feelings for each other". They weren't let out until Dr. Williams threatened to suspend playdates for a week. But both girls agreed it was worth it when Dr. Williams had asked him if they could get coffee together, though they were both adamant they were just coworkers.

Achilles had been thinking about things like that for a while now. Up until he had adopted Hailey, the only people he was close to was his sister Helen and her family. She had married a man named Daniel Granger over a decade ago and had a daughter Hailey's age that he barely got to see. Working for the Foundation meant cutting a lot of ties with friends and family. As far as Helen knew, he was working on a top-secret research project for the British government.

His musing was interrupted by the buzzing of a notification on his cellphone. A letter had arrived from Helen. Sending a letter to somebody working in the SCP Foundation was difficult, to say the least. Whatever it was she needed to tell him, it was important. He just hoped it wasn't bad news. Achilles took one last look behind him at the containment chamber before walking off to pick up his letter, a good deal faster than when he arrived.

* * *

Achilles knocked firmly on the Granger's wooden door. Helen had made it very clear that something serious had happened on her daughter's 11th birthday, something she needed to tell him face-to-face. He had a vague suspicion what had happened, based on what he had long suspected of Helen's daughter, but he wasn't sure how to react when she told him. On one hand, he wanted to help his sister in whatever way he could. On the other hand, he was still forbidden from revealing Foundation secrets, even to her.

Achilles heard somebody fumbling with the keys on the other side of the door before it opened up to reveal the flushed face of his sister.

"Thank you for coming all this way, Achilles. Please come inside, I've prepared some tea," Helen said, gesturing him towards the living room.

As he walked through the house, Achilles took notice of the photos on the wall. He paused on the most recent one. Hermione had grown up, he realised. Her bushy hair was just as untameable as he remembered, but she no longer looked like the curious little toddler he remembered. Helen saw him looking and gave him a happy smile.

"It amazes me how quickly they grow up. One day, they're learning to walk. The next they're travelling to the other side of the country for most of the year," Helen lamented, looking like she was on the verge of tears. No matter what Hermione did, she would always be her little girl.

Achilles smiled to himself. He understood that perfectly well. Hailey had come a long way from the tiny traumatised 6-year old he brought back to Site 19. If there was one thing he hated about working at the Foundation, it was that he could never introduce Hailey to his sister. He regretted having to leave her behind while he visited Helen, but she understood. Still, he wished she could have met Helen too.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" Achilles asked as he sat down on the worn sofa.

Helen sighed as she leaned over the table to pour him a cup of tea.

"Two days ago, Hermione had her 11th birthday. It was a normal birthday, but once the guests had left she appeared. She had a weird name. MacGonagail or something like that. Anyway, this woman asked me to see Hermione. She said she had a letter to deliver to her about some school called 'Hogwarts' Hermione was signed up to, saying she was on their list since she was born. Then she told her straight to her face she was a witch and that they were going to teach her magic. I obviously thought I had invited a madwoman into my house, but then she turned my teacups into mice-"

Achilles leaned forward in his seat. Helen had confirmed his suspicions. Now how was he supposed to tell her what he knew?

"-and told her that she would be spending most of the year in Scotland learning magic! I know this sounds crazy, but I swear it happened. Daniel and Hermione will both tell you the same thing once they get back. You have to believe me!"

"Don't worry Helen, I believe you. I've seen some strange stuff in my line of work," Achilles assured her, reaching out to squeeze his sister's hand. He could tell she was scared for her daughter, who wouldn't be? They were sending her off into an unknown world alone.

Helen gave him a smile and leaned over to give him a soft hug.

"I'm just so scared! I didn't think I'd have to deal with Hermione leaving home until she was 18! I especially didn't think I'd be sending her all alone into a world of magic! She hasn't spent more than a week away from home and now she's going to be spending months! What if they don't like her? What if she gets hurt? What if she needs help-"

"Helen, I know this is scary, but I want you to know that if there is anything you or Hermione ever needs, I'll be here."

"Thanks Akil, this means a lot to me," Helen cried, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you still have that letter? It'll make it a lot easier for me to help you."

"What do you mean? Do you know something about magic?" Helen asked, turning back to face him.

"I can't tell you anything, for now. If I get permission, I'll be able to tell you what I know. But if I can provide evidence that Hermione is magical, I may be able to persuade my superiors to give you access to some of our knowledge. Maybe even allow a visit. Hermione is a smart and headstrong young woman, she'll take on any challenges the magical world can throw at her in stride," Achilles consoled before giving a hug of his own to his older sister.

He pulled away to see Helen's watery smile. She gave him a happy laugh before hugging him again back.

"Oh and you should have seen what she was wearing! Mother would have had a heart attack!" Helen whispered to him. Achilles laughed and pulled her tighter to him.

"I'll stay the night. I haven't been able to see Hermione for a year now and I've got a lot of apologising to do for missing her birthday. Plus I wouldn't miss one of your dinners for all the magic in the world!" Achilles whispered back.

"But tomorrow, I'll be going back to the United States to see if I can bring you in on a few of the most well kept secrets ok the planet," Achilles said, now dead serious.

"I don't know what that means, but I trust you Akil. Whatever this is you want to tell me, I really hope you are successful."

"Trust me Helen. I do too."

* * *

"You're absolutely certain your niece is one of them?" The Site Director asked, leaning forward across the desk.

"Yes. Everything Helen told me is consistent with what we know about instances of SCP-5500. I've even sent Hermione's letter to the analysts, they've confirmed its authentic," Achilles reported, placing a small file on the wooden desk.

"And you want me to allow you to tell them about us?"

"Only what we know about 5500. They already know magic exists. Plus it'll be useful for the Foundation to have another contact in their world one day. Hermione is a brilliant girl, she will serve the Foundation well," Achilles persuaded.

"Look Achilles, I know you well enough to know why you're really here. We both know that Firstblood families are introduced to the magical world all the time without issue. You just want them to know so you won't have to keep secrets from your family anymore."

Achilles' shoulders slumped. He knew the Site Director would guess why he was asking. But he still hoped that he'd be allowed to tell Helen about what he did, however naively.

"But-," the Site Director began, "your idea does have merit. I'll send a request to the O5 Council. If they approve we'll send some guards to bring Helen, Daniel and Hermione Granger to Site 19. Be warned, they'll be tested for trustworthiness and given amnestics if they fail. If they don't, I'll allow you to fill them in on a bit of what we know."

"And Hailey, sir?"

"SCP-5536 will be meeting Miss Granger eventually. You might as well introduce then when they arrive," the Site Director said. He looked pointedly at Achilles with the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Yes sir! Thank you sir!" Achilles shouted with a smile, giving the Site Director a salute before rushing out of the room. He had to travel back to Britain immediately. He'd finally been given the chance to reconnect with his family!

**A/N: So this is a thing I decided to write. Constructive criticism or any ideas for the plot is always welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2: Visitors

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners. **

This week had been the strangest of Hermione Granger's life.

It all started the night of her 11th birthday, when Professor McGonagall had told her she was a witch. Hermione had not believed her. Not until she had waved a wand and turned her teacup into a mouse. She was both excited and scared of going to Hogwarts. On one hand, she might finally fit in somewhere. Hermione never fit in with the other kids. Whether it was her intelligence, attitude or the weird things that happened around her, Hermione was always the weird kid with few friends. Her Mum had always suggested she try and work on being less critical of others, but Hermione didn't see the problem. How were they going to learn if she didn't correct them?

On the other hand, she was going to a place she knew nothing about. Hermione would be completely alone, without a friend or her parents to support her. So the day after McGonagall had introduced her to magic, she had begged her Dad to take her to London so she could visit Diagon Alley and learn as much as she could about Hogwarts and magic before school began. She could have spent weeks exploring Diagon Alley, just taking in all the new sights and exploring the shops. Particularly the bookshop, where she had picked up a copy of Hogwarts: A History which she had already half-way finished.

The week got stranger with the arrival of her distant uncle, Achilles Mardas. She always loved it when he visited. He was a scientist working on top-secret projects for the government. Before she had discovered magic, she wanted to follow in his footsteps. While he was his usual reserved yet caring self, Hermione was shocked by how calmly he took the knowledge of magic. Even her own parents had yet to fully process it, but her uncle had taken it in stride.

Hermione would find out why 4 days later.

That day had been the strangest day of Hermione Granger's strangest week. Even the day Professor McGonagall had introduced her to the Wizarding World paled in comparison. Uncle Achilles had shown up without warning early in the morning with a wide grin on his face, flanked by two very intimidating armed guards, telling her Mum he was taking them to a place where they could learn more about the Wizarding World. He had all but demanded they pack their bags for a weekend trip to his worksite, with an excitement and happiness Hermione had never seen in him before. Her parents had been a strange mixture of relieved and scared, though they calmed down when Achilles assured them he would keep them all safe. They had packed within the hour and Achilles and the guards had escorted them all into black and featureless cars. All Hermione could think about was how much this reminded her of Dad's old spy movies.

They drove for 3 hours before reaching a small unmarked airstrip. The Grangers were all but manhandled into a sleek metal plane filled with other scientists and guards. They were given a few curious glances by onlookers, but Achilles made them disperse with a flash of a keycard. Her parents had asked Achilles what was happening or where they were going, but he had refused to answer any questions until they arrived. Instead, he tried to entice Hermione into a conversation about her school life. Hermione was too overwhelmed to give more than one-word answers, so they sat there in awkward silence for the remainder of the plane trip.

Achilles only spoke up again when they had landed and exited the plane.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Site 19!" Achilles announced proudly, with an exaggerated gesture towards the city-like complex behind him. Gentle waves washed against massive geometric concrete buildings that rose up from the surrounding forest like mountains.

"Now, a few safety instructions. Remember to be polite and courteous to anybody you meet inside and please don't ask them too many questions. If you have questions, I'll answer them. If you hear an alarm, follow the nearest researcher, they'll take you to safety. I'll be taking you to the lower levels. I've got some things to share with you three and a person I'd like you to meet," Achilles explained as he directed them into the largest concrete building that rose up before them, surrounded by a well-maintained hedge. Hermione watched in awe as the sliding doors opened to reveal a clean and spacious lobby. She noted with interest that the lobby was only sparsely furnished, this place must not have many visitors. Branded on the wall ahead was a strange circular symbol, with three arrows pointing inwards.

Achilles swiped his keycard on another door, which briefly displayed the same symbol as the walls, and escorted them further into the building. The echo of their footsteps on the tiled floor highlighted just how quiet it was. The three Grangers could feel the tense atmosphere of the building, as if everyone were expecting something terrible to happen at any moment. They were lead into what looked like a miniature cinema and told to face the screen. The silent guards moved to stand on either side of the door.

"Now, what you're about to see is known as a cognitohazard. We need to do this in order to make sure Foundation secrets are not revealed to the public. I would trust you three with my life, but my superiors need assurance. So I'm going to ask you to stare at the image on the projector and repeat what I say," Achilles explained.

"You're sure this is safe Achilles?" Daniel Granger asked cautiously.

"So long as you only speak the truth when you look at it. If you say something while looking at the cognitohazard, but don't mean it, you will fall into a coma for an indeterminate amount of time. Only say something if you truly mean it," Achilles said, looking directly at each of them.

"Now, this is your last chance to back out of this. If you agree to leave, you will be given amnestics and sent back home. You will forget this day ever happened and never hear from the Foundation again. But if you choose to go forward and look at this image, you will be burdened with a terrible secret. One you will never be allowed to share with anyone. Knowledge can be dangerous. What you learn here may scar you. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Uncle," Hermione said, taking a seat before the projector.

"I'll accept this burden if it helps me keep Hermione safe," Daniel Granger said with conviction, sitting next to Hermione and reaching out to hold her hand.

"I trust you Akil. Whatever it takes, I'm not going to let Hermione leave us unprepared," Helen Granger said, sitting down on the other side of Hermione and giving her free hand a comforting squeeze.

"Displaying cognitohazard in 3… 2… 1…"

Hermione was never able to correctly describe what it was she saw that day. The image seemed to swirl and dance in her vision, giving her a dull headache. Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to look away. Despite being unable to see them, Hermione somehow knew her parents were similarly transfixed. Achilles, on the other hand, seemed unaffected.

"Now repeat after me: I swear to not reveal anything I learn about or from the Foundation to any person or thing without the approval of the Foundation," Achilles said, waiting patiently for them. Hermione paused, then began repeating what he'd said, never taking her eyes of the image on the projector. She felt her headache increase as she repeated Achilles' oath, but felt it fade again once she had finished.

"I will follow the instructions of any Foundation authorities pertaining to the security, safety and secrecy of Foundation personnel, research, property and anomalies."

Hermione again repeated what he'd said, though this time the headache wasn't as bad.

"And finally: I will not attempt to steal or learn information about the Foundation, it's employees, research, property or anomalies without permission from an approved Foundation personnel."

This time, Hermione barely felt the headache. The second she finished the final sentence, the projector shut off and the Grangers all sighed in relief. The guards entered, helping the stunned and disoriented family to their feet. Achilles stood in front of them with a proud expression on his face.

"You've been now been officially inducted. Welcome, Helen, Daniel and Hermione Granger, to the SCP Foundation!"

* * *

"Keep your hands steady when you hold the needle. You'll only make the wound worse."

Hailey Mardas leaned over the pig corpse on the table in front of her, focused completely on the in and out motions of her hands as she stitched shut the wound on the dead animal's hide. A towering figure in a black cloak stood over her, watching his student's work intently through a silver bird-like mask. The figure noted with pride the way Hailey made sure to carefully threaded the stitches at the required depth. His teaching had paid off, she would soon be good enough to work on a live animal, maybe even a human. Next they we going to work on setting bones, he thought to himself. She will learn to treat the symptoms of the Pestilence until he is ready to teach her his cure.

"Done!" Hailey announced with a smile, looking up at her teacher.

"Very good, Hailey. We'll make a doctor out of you yet!" SCP-049 said, patting her head with his gloved hand. He was interrupted by a voice coming from the intercoms.

"SCP-5536, you are needed by Doctor Mardas in the upper levels. Please exit the containment chamber. SCP-049, step away from the door," the voice ordered. Hailey stepped down from the stool she was on and wrapped her arms around his legs.

"I guess I have to go early. Thanks for the lesson Louis, I'll see you next week!" Hailey said, gathering up her things and walking through the door. She turned and gave SCP-049 (or Louis, as she liked to call him) a friendly wave.

"Bye Louis!"

"Bye Hailey," Louis replied, giving her a small wave of his own before turning to reopen the wound Hailey had just stitched shut. He couldn't just let a perfectly good body go to waste after all.

* * *

Hailey jogged quickly through the corridor, greeting the researchers she passed with a smile and a 'Good morning'. Her father wanted her in the cafeteria, though it was too early for their daily lunch together. Whatever it was, it must be important. She made her way to the elevator that would take her to the upper levels of the facility.

She waited for what seemed like hours (but was really less than a minute) before getting frustrated with the elevator. Annoyed, Hailey closed her eyes and 'felt' for the floor she wanted. She let her mind take in the surrounding dimensions and densities, observing the world but not truly seeing it. Hailey found the location she wanted, then focused on projecting herself there. With a pop and a flash of blue light, she was violently ejected from space itself, reappearing 19.84 meters above where she was. Hailey leaned on the wall to steady herself as the world swirled around her, before shaking her head to clear the dizziness. Teleporting long distances always left her feeling disorientated.

With one last shake of her head, Hailey reached up to clear her black hair from her eyes, then resumed jogging towards the cafeteria. She rounded the corner and saw her dad talking with a woman. She was thin, with short black hair and green eyes. Hailey noted with interest that she looked a lot like Achilles. They had the same nose, same eyes and same coloured hair, though Achilles' was wavey while hers was straighter.

Achilles turned around to see her. With a laugh, he leaned down and opened his arms to hug her. Hailey giggled and sprinted towards him, teleporting the last 5 meters to get there quicker. He caught her, lifted her up and giving her tight hug.

"I missed you dad!" Hailey squealed, holding onto him tightly.

"I was only gone for the morning!" Achilles replied with a chuckle.

"Doesn't matter, I still missed you!"

* * *

Helen Granger was shocked, to say the least. Achilles had left soon after they arrived in the nearly empty cafeteria, returning with a collection of files. The largest one was for something called 'SCP-5500' which Achilles said contained a heavily redacted compilation of everything they knew about the wizarding world. He'd given them to Daniel and Hermione to read, saying that he wanted her to meet somebody important to him. Daniel and Hermione had gotten as far as asking what "Archon" meant before a small black-haired girl came running in from a nearby corridor. She disappeared in a flash of blue, reappearing right in front of Achilles who gave the girl a tight hug.

Despite the apparent supernatural feat she just witnessed, she was more shocked that the little girl called her brother Dad. She knew Achilles couldn't reveal much about his life in the Foundation, but she had no idea he had a daughter. Helen was hit with a sudden wave of sadness. Her younger brother had a child, who she hadn't even knew existed. What else had she missed? Did he have a wife too? A whole family of his own?

"Hailey, there's some people I'd like you to meet," Achilles said in a comforting voice, placing the child on the ground. The girl looked shyly at Helen, then to Daniel and Hermione, who had both turned to see the newcomer wearing similar looks of curiosity and shock. Helen noticed how the girl partially hid herself behind Achilles' leg.

"Hailey, this is my sister Helen. Over there is her husband Daniel and daughter Hermione. Everyone, this is Hailey Mardas. My daughter," Achilles said, introducing them with a proud smile on his face. Helen could tell the child was scared, so she got down on her knees and opened her arms for her.

"Hello there Hailey, I'm Helen. Achilles' sister," Helen said in a calm voice, introducing herself to the child. Achilles gently pushed her out from behind his leg, walking her over to Helen. Hailey gently leaned into her hug, stiff and cautious at first before relaxing. When she pulled out of the hug, she had a soft smile on her face. Her deep green eyes seemed to stare right into her soul.

"Are you my aunt then?" Hailey asked.

"I guess I am. Which means I get to spoil you with lots of sugary food!" Helen answered. She was rewarded by a soft laugh from the girl. Achilles lead her away to introduce her to Daniel and Hermione. Daniel introduced himself and gave Hailey another hug, telling her that he'd take great care of his new niece. After introductions, Achilles told Hailey to go play with Hermione, then walked over to wear the two other parents were sitting.

"I suppose you have a lot of questions?" Achilles asked.

"You think? You have a child, Achilles. Got any more family we should know about?" Daniel replied sarcastically.

"No, just Hailey. I adopted her. She… didn't come from the best home. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about her. Believe me, I really wanted to. But she's an SCP," Achilles explained with a guilty look.

"What do you mean, she didn't come from the best home?" Helen asked, concern in her voice.

"Her previous guardians… weren't the nicest people, to say the least. When we discovered Hailey, she was covered in bruises and bleeding severely. She was six at the time. Our medical scans showed past signs of malnourishment and physical trauma. Hailey doesn't like talking about it, so please don't mention it to her. She only feels comfortable talking about it with me."

Daniel clenched his fists angrily while Helen looked over to where Hailey and Hermione were playing with a sympathetic look. Both couldn't believe anybody could be capable of that cruelty. They sat in silence for a minute before Daniel turned to ask Achilles a question.

"How did you end up adopting her?" Daniel asked.

"I was part of the group who found her. She was being chased by a man with a bloodied rolling pin. He grabbed Hailey, which caused her powers to act up. We sent a Task Force after her neighbours called in to report a shockwave smashing all their windows. I went with them. Hailey was unconscious when we found her. I stayed with her until she woke up, then I helped comfort her. We took her to one of our bases in Britain. I still stayed with her. I guess I just wanted to make sure she was OK. We knew Hailey was a magical, so we offered her the choice of coming with us to the Site 19 or turning her over to the British Ministry of Magic. She chose us," Achilles began, pausing to look over at the girl talking quietly to her new cousin.

"We gave her the designation of SCP-5536 and I was assigned to be her researcher. The Foundation soon discovered that she wasn't a normal instance of SCP-5500. When she was scared, she'd randomly teleport to somewhere within the facility. Gave us quite a few scares. Hailey was calmer around me, so I was allowed to spend a lot of time with her. About a year after she arrived here, she woke up screaming from a nightmare. I stayed with her until she fell asleep. She whispered 'Thanks Dad' to me just before she fell asleep. At that point I had been thinking of her as my daughter for months now. I discussed it with her and one week later I'd talked to the Ethics Committee and adopted her officially," he finished. Helen gave her brother a proud smile. She decided to shift the conversation towards something more pleasant, she'd sensed her brother didn't like talking about what had happened to Hailey.

"SCP? That was on the file you showed us. What does it mean?" Helen said.

"It's the motto of the SCP Foundation. Secure, Contain, Protect. We contain and research anomalies, also called SCPs. Things science can't explain. Dangerous things. Things that could end life as we know it. Our organisation and everything involved with it operates under complete secrecy. Hailey is an SCP. Her designation is SCP-5536. Hermione is too. They are both instances of SCP-5500, which is what we call the Magical World," Achilles explained.

"And how does the SCP Foundation relate to them?"

"The Foundation keeps a track record of anything anomalous. Our leaders determined containing or eliminating SCP-5500 to not be worth the risk of exposing our organisation to the general public. But we have other ways of keeping them out of the public eye. Even though the Magical World keeps itself contained via their Statute of Secrecy, we still ensure they don't screw up or violate it with a few secret nudges and clandestine operations. They don't know it, but the SCP Foundation has a long and not always pleasant history with the Magical World. Wizardkind are largely unaware of our existence and we'd like to keep it that way," He directed them back to the files on the table, which Daniel and Helen began reading. "We've got some contacts in their world. Magicals working for the Foundation. The American Ministry knows about us, we've worked with them before. But the British don't know we exist. So make sure Hermione knows not to tell anybody about us."

Achilles then turned to look at Hailey and Hermione, who were talking quietly to each other on the other side of the cafeteria. He was glad they were getting along so well, it would do both of them good to have another friend.

* * *

Hailey loved her new cousin. Until this morning, she wasn't even aware Achilles had any other close family. Sure, she knew he had a sister, but he never talked about her. Hailey never guessed he had a niece and a brother-in-law too. Hermione was very loud and seemed to lack even a hint of subtlety or tact, but Hailey could tell deep down she was a caring person looking for a friend. So Hailey endured her questions and lectures about what she knew about the Wizarding World.

"So you're a witch too? When did you get your letter? Have you been told about Hogwarts yet? Did you know they sort people into their houses using a hat? I read it in Hogwarts: a History. Oh, houses are these groups students get sorted into by the way. What house do you think you will go to? I would like to go to Ravenclaw, but Gryffindor sounds good too. Albus Dumbledore went to Gryffindor. He's the headmaster, you know. You'll-"

"Jeez Hermione, remember to breathe!" Hailey said to her new friend, "I'm not even sure if I'll receive a letter or if I'm going to Hogwarts. I'm not sure I'm even technically a witch. They might not send me anything. Even if they do, I'll need permission from the O5 Council to attend. They consider me an asset to the Foundation but also a potential security risk."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't you be considered a witch? Why wouldn't the Foundation let you go to Hogwarts? That doesn't sound very fair!" Hermione exclaimed.

"My teleporting abilities," Hailey began, disappearing in a flash of blue light and reappearing on the other side of Hermione for emphasis, "aren't something normal instances of SCP-5500 have. This entire facility is equipped with wards that are supposed to prevent apparition, but I can still teleport. Because of this, I'm not sure I still fall under the Wizarding World's definition of a witch. The Foundation also doesn't like letting SCPs out of containment, especially not Euclid ones like me."

"So they keep you locked up like a prisoner!?"

"I guess? It's fine though. I can wander around the non-restricted areas of the facility as I please. All my friends and family are here with me. Well, except you guys."

Hermione and Hailey sit there in awkward silence for a while. For Hermione, keeping somebody in a place against their will was evil. But she was clearly out of her depth when it came to the Hailey's world. Speaking of which…

"What's it like here?" Hermione asked.

"Oh it's pretty good. I've been here for 4 years now. Most days I wake up, go eat breakfast with the other scientists. They're fun to talk to and all have interesting stories to tell me. Then I get taught lessons with the few other children in Site 19. I hear this is something people in the outside world do as well. After that, I get visiting time with some of the other SCPs or I can help out with some tests. I helped the botanists test out this soil that can grow stuff _really _fast yesterday. At night I spend time with Dad, playing games or watching movies. What more could I ask for?" Hailey explained with a smile. She really did love her life in the Foundation, even if she'd never left Site 19.

"That sounds interesting. How about those friends and family you mentioned? Does Achilles have other family here besides you?"

"No, it's just me. Though he _definitely _has a crush on my friend Alice's researcher. Alice is another SCP, by the way. She's our age. You can't meet her though. Anybody except me who spends more than 10 minutes in her presence goes on a homicidal rampage. Then there's Louis, Cain and David. They're all SCPs. Louis is a doctor, he teaches me medicine. Cain is immortal and causes things to die. David's shy and doesn't talk, but he likes being near me.

I've also got Grandpa Larry. He looks kinda scary, but he's nice. I drew him a picture when I was 7 that he put on the wall of his pocket dimension. I don't get to visit him often though. Then there's Blub. He's super nice and friendly. He's like a cute little dog if the dog was made of orange slime. Iris is a good friend too. She can touch stuff in photographs, which is super cool! Oh and I can't forget Jormun. He's a massive unkillable reptile. Alice and I play fetch with him sometimes."

"None of that makes any sense!"

"Hermione, I'm friends with a sentient hand-drawn girl, a forgetful artificial intelligence, a sentient book that makes up fantasy stories and 3 teenagers that have been playing real-life Quake for twenty years. Nothing in my life makes sense, and I wouldn't have it any other way!"

Hermione laughed. Her cousin has quite the strange group of friends.

"Enough about me, how about you tell me something about yourself?" Hailey asked.

"My life certainly isn't as interesting as yours,-" Hermione began.

"Hey, don't call your life boring! There are plenty of boring things in mine too!"

"I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, besides from the occasional burst of accidental magic, my life has been fairly ordinary up until my birthday. I don't have many friends. People always call me a know-it-all when I try to help them. Which I don't think is very fair. If they didn't want me to correct them, they shouldn't have been wrong in the first place."

Hailey frowned slightly. She could tell her friend meant well, but also why she might irritate other people. There were scientists in the Foundation that were like that. She hoped Hermione would outgrow it when she went to Hogwarts.

"My parents are dentists, in case Achilles never told you. I wanted to be a scientist like Achilles until I learnt about the magical world. Now I'm not sure what I want to do," Hermione finished, oblivious to Hailey's internal thoughts.

"You can always be magical and a scientist! We have a few anomalous Foundation employees. I'm hoping to be one myself!" Hailey exclaimed. Hermione seemed to consider it for a while, before turning to smile at her new cousin.

"I really hope you can come to Hogwarts with me, Hailey"

Hailey turned to look at Hermione, a contemplative look on her face. Truth be told, Hailey didn't know what she wanted.

**A/N: I try not to shy away from character flaws. Hermione was a bit abrasive when she was young and Harry was angry and impulsive. Both Hailey and Hermione are going to learn to overcome their respective character flaws. Also, I've included a brief list of all the SCPs Hailey mentions as friends for anybody who didn't understand the names I've given them (since I don't think Hailey would refer to friends by numbers).**

**Alice: SCP-053 (has aged since her file was written)**

**Louis: SCP-049 (named after French biologist Louis Pasteur)**

**David: SCP-096**

**Cain: SCP-073 (actual canon name)**

**Grandpa Larry: SCP-106 (from the tale 'The Young Man', which says his name is Lawrence)**

**Blub: SCP-999 (name used widely by the fandom) **

**Iris: SCP-105 (canon name)**

**Jormun: SCP-682 (shorting of the name Jormungandr, a massive serpent from Norse mythology)**

'**Sentient hand-drawn girl': SCP-085**

'**Forgetful artificial intelligence': SCP-079**

'**Sentient book that makes up fantasy stories': SCP-1230 **

'**3 teenagers that have been playing real-life Quake': SCP-2639**

**As usual, constructive criticism is always welcome. **


	3. Chapter 3: A Rude Welcoming

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners. **

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was, quite frankly, not sure what he was feeling. At first he felt relieved. Hailey Potter was alive! The one destined to defeat Voldemort was still alive! He hadn't failed James and Lily! Of course, he knew that Hailey wasn't dead. His charms had told him so. But a small, irrational part of him was relieved to have confirmation.

This relief quickly transformed into the guilt he usually felt whenever Hailey Potter was mentioned. He had known that the Dursleys were unlikely to ever give Hailey Potter the love she deserved, but he had hoped that Petunia's respect for her sister's memory and his threat would at least make sure she was taken care of. But when he had been told what they had done to her, when he had read the charges and proof those Muggle lawyers had leveled against them, he was horrified and deeply remorseful. In that moment, the darker part of Dumbledore could almost sympathise with his old friend-turned-enemy Grindelwald. He crushed those thoughts immediately. He shouldn't feed his old demons.

Besides, last he heard they had both died in Muggle prison.

Nobody who knew actually blamed him for what had happened. Even Mrs Figg and McGonagall never suspected the Dursleys were capable of this. If there was one thing that Petunia was good at, it was keeping prying eyes from seeing what happened in that house behind closed doors. But he still felt guilty all the same. He should never have sent her there in the first place.

But the final feeling Dumbledore felt was confusion. After the Muggle trial had sent Vernon and Petunia to prison, Hailey was sent into the Muggle orphanage system. He had planned to bring her to another Wizarding family in secret, one that he was sure would truly love her like the Weasleys or Longbottoms. But try as he might, Dumbledore could not trace where she had gone to. As far as Muggle records were concerned, Hailey Potter had dropped off the face of the Earth. So as he gazed down at the address through his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore wondered just what had happened to their saviour in the 5 years she was missing.

_Miss H. Potter_

_Lat: 45° 19' 31.20" N_

_Long: -113° 44' 11.39" W_

_Montana_

The address contained no room, building or street. Dumbledore knew of some rare enchantments that could confuse the magic in Hogwarts, but it was widely regarded as useless to all but the most paranoid wizards. Had the American wizards beaten him in retrieving Hailey?

Regardless of the weirdness of the location, Dumbledore was glad he knew where Hailey was now. Drawing his wand, Dumbledore summoned his brilliant blue phoenix which soared around the room once before disappearing through the window. There were too many unknowns in this situation to entrust Hailey's introduction into the British magical world to an owl. He would need to send somebody to retrieve her.

Hagrid hadn't seen Hailey Potter since she was a baby. Dumbledore was certain he'd love to see her again.

* * *

"So how long do I have to spend up here?" Hailey Mardas asked her father. It had been nearly a year since she had first met the Grangers. They had visited many times after that, something Hailey looked forward to immensely. The last time they had visited, Hermione even got to meet a few of the SCPs. SCP-999 had been it's usual adorable self, Hermione had taken a liking to it immediately. She had a long conversation with Iris about photography and drew some pictures for Cassy.

Hailey was somewhat disappointed she hadn't gotten to introduce Hermione to the rest of her friends, but she could understand why. It's rather hard to introduce somebody to things like a terrifying unkillable reptile or a man that could pass through solid matter and make things rot by touching them.

"Until the end of the day. The O5 Council has negotiated terms for you to go to Hogwarts. So we need to make sure that if the wizards are going to send you a letter, they can reach you," Achilles explained.

"And since the lower levels of Site 19 shift location, they couldn't track us," Hailey finished with a proud look on her face.

"Correct. So you're going to sit here and wait for the rest of the day until they send their letter. Then we can go back down and watch a movie of your choosing."

Hailey waited in silence, just looking out the window. The Montana location had a beautiful view of the snow capped mountains. She'd recently been given permission to occasionally venture outside of the facility while accompanied by guards. This has quickly became one of the highlights of her week. Right now, the snow was glistening in the light of the setting sun as the shadows lengthened in the valley.

The silence gave Hailey time to think. She had yet to decide whether she was looking forward or dreading going to Hogwarts. There were so many people (and a lot of non-people) she would miss dearly, but if she didn't go she felt that she'd have lost the opportunity to make new friends and spend more time with Hermione. A small part of Hailey was also curious about her birth parents. She knew that Achilles would always be the best Dad she could ever wish for, but she still wanted to know where she'd come from.

She was brought out of her musing by an alarm that echoed across the snow-capped mountains.

"_Attention all Foundation personnel: an unidentified object has breached Site 19 airspace.-"_

* * *

"_-all guards, please go to your assigned posts and secure the anomalies. Lockdown procedures are in effect. Surface personnel are to assist in the apprehension and questioning of this object."_

The guard listened intently to the announcement. Why did it always have to be him on duty when stuff happens? First the Chaos Insurgency and now what appeared to be a-

"Hey mate, is that a flying motorbike?" Another guard interrupted, pointing to an object in the sky.

"Bloody hell, sure looks like it. What do we do?" The first guard asked.

"What do you think you twats? Order it to land. And if it doesn't, shoot it down!" The third guard answered.

* * *

Hailey and Achilles watched with wide eyes as a flying motorbike flew past the window at incredible speeds.

"Unidentified intruder, this is your final warning! Land immediately or we will be forced to use lethal countermeasures!" a guard's voice yelled out from the speakers set up outside the facility. But the driver made no attempt to land, even as he had to duck close to the facility to avoid gunfire.

She could just see the driver, an abnormally large man, swerve dangerously close to the mountains to avoid another round of bullets. Three anti-air missiles shot across the window, chasing after the man on the bike. He swerved again to dodge them, violently colliding with the side of the mountain.

"_Unidentified intruder has been shot down on the west side of the facility."_

* * *

Hagrid was having an awful day, which was weird because it had started out so great. Dumbledore had found Hailey Potter! He was the one who was going to bring her back to Britain! These thoughts kept Hagrid from questioning why Hailey was in some uninhabitable region of Montana.

He had spent the morning taking Sirius' flying motorbike through the American Magical Congress and the afternoon flying it to Montana. It was windy and cold, but Hagrid powered through it. Dumbledore wanted him to find Hailey Potter and he wouldn't fail either of them.

Things only really started to get awful when two fighter jets had begun trailing him.

These Muggles were relentless. He'd tried to lose them in the mountains, to no effect. They seemed to want him to land, but Hagrid wasn't going to allow himself to become the front page on the Daily Prophet by being captured by whoever these Muggles were working for. Dumbledore trusted him to succeed and Hagrid would never break Dumbledore's trust for as long as he lived.

Hagrid probably should have realised something was wrong when the jets peeled off once he'd reached a large concrete building carved into the mountains. Is this really where Hailey Potter was? He didn't have much time to think before he was dodging small-arms fire and anti-air missiles. He'd managed to duck a missile by pure luck, but had sent the motorbike crashing into the side of the mountain. Hagrid lost control, flying off the bike and down the mountain.

His brain had hit the side of his skull, causing his vision to blur and fade. The last thing he saw before he slipped into unconsciousness were three guards fanning out around him and leveling their rifles with his torso.

"_Unidentified intruder has been apprehended. Lockdown disengaged."_

* * *

Hagrid woke up with a pounding his head. He moved his hands up to rub the sore spot, but found that he couldn't. Frustrated, he looked down to see his hands encased in a metal gauntlet chained to the wall and floor. He had been forced to his knees, his position held by restraining chains. This room was devoid of any furnishings, it's concrete walls exposed and bare. The dimensions of the room could barely be made out in the dim light.

In a flash of light, the wall opposite him was illuminated. It shifted, before displaying the face of a blurred out person. The person was clearly human, though beyond that Hagrid had no idea who they were.

"Who are you?" a voice spoke, seemingly from everywhere in the room. It was heavily distorted somehow, he had no idea why. Hagrid refused to give an answer. He'd rather die than give Dumbledore and Hogwarts to these people.

'

"Why are you here?" the voice said after a minute of silence.

"Because you lot 'ave kidnapped Hailey!" Hagrid yelled back, before quickly shutting his mouth. He wasn't going to let these bastards get any more information from him.

"You're here for Hailey? Don't you wizards usually send an own to deliver Hogwarts acceptance letters?" the voice said again, it's accusatory tone diminished.

"How do yeh know about 'hat!?" Hagrid shouted, immediately hitting himself over confirming what the voice had said.

The person in the image disappeared. For a minute Hagrid was left in the darkness before a door on the side of the room opened, illuminating the dark room in a bright white light causing Hagrid to blink to adjust his eyes. A man stepped into the doorway, casting a large shadow on the opposite wall. The man moved to stand before Hagrid, towering over the kneeling half-giant.

Up close, Hagrid could make out the man's lightly tanned skin, wavy brown hair and piercing green eyes. The man stared straight into his eyes, as if silently judging him.

"My name is Achilles Mardas. I'm Hailey's adoptive father," Achilles said, having decided the large man before him to be trustworthy. His words seemed to have shocked the man, since he didn't respond. Achilles turned to leave, deciding to bring Hailey to the man while he was still restrained to see how he'd react.

Hagrid was too stunned to speak, saying nothing as the man walked out of the cell. He was still sitting quietly when a blue flash momentarily illuminated the room from outside. A young girl walked into the room, with the same man from before trailing after her.

"Hello, I'm Hailey. I've been told you were looking for me," the girl said, eye level with him.

"Hailey? Is tha' you?" Hagrid asked with concern in his voice, scanning the girl for any injuries. "What are yeh doin' here? Are yeh hurt!?"

"It's a long story. But I'm happy and safe here, if that's what you're asking. What we want to know is who you are and why you want to speak to me."

"I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts! Dumbledore sent me to give yer Hogwarts letter."

"I thought that would arrive by owl?"

"He didn' know if it would make it. So he sent me to make sure yeh got it! Smart man, Dumbledore."

"Well I'm glad I met you Hagrid," Hailey said, smiling at the giant man. "And I'm sorry for the whole shooting thing. This area is very restricted."

"What is this place?" Hagrid asked, looking around at the empty walls of the interrogation cell again.

"We can't tell you. I'm sorry but you're really not supposed to be here. The people here don't take kindly to intruders," Hailey explained with a sympathetic look towards the restrained giant. She knew what the Foundation was going to do was necessary to preserve their secrecy, but she still felt for the kind giant.

"We'll be giving you amnestics and altering your memory. I'm sorry, but we can't let the Foundation's existence be revealed to the Wizarding World," Achilles spoke up, mirroring Hailey's sympathetic look. He could tell that Hagrid was a kind person who only wanted to make sure his daughter was ok. But security came first. He'll try to alter the memory in a way so that Hagrid still remembers his first meeting with Hailey. The man seemed to care for her, Achilles was sure he'd appreciate it.

"What are the doin' tah…", Hagrid began to protest, voice trailing off as the anaesthetics took hold. His eyelids grew heavy and for the second time today he slipped into unconsciousness. Only this time the last thing he saw was a tiny hand giving his own bound one a comforting squeeze as he fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Hagrid? Wake up, the customs building is open," Hailey said, gently nudging the giant man.

"Hailey? Where are we?" Hagrid asked looking around the place where he'd woken up.

"Don't you remember? We arrived at the Magical Congress before they'd opened the international Floo network, so since you've been up all night you decided to take a nap," Hailey explained, wincing slightly at the lie and giving the oblivious giant an apologetic look. "I just want to say Hagrid, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Hailey," Hagrid replies, confused by her apology. She must blame herself for his tiredness. She didn't respond, only giving one of his massive fingers a comforting squeeze.

**A/N: I felt bad about wiping out Hagrid's memory, but the Foundation isn't going to let anybody just walk away knowing they exist. To make it up to you, here's an omake where Hermione meets SCP-999. **

"Now Hermione, one thing you'll learn quickly being in Site 19 is that SCPs can be really mean. There are a few SCPs that are literally evil incarnate. But the one I'm about to show you doesn't have a single evil bone in its body," Hailey explained to her cousin, swiping a card against a steel door. "Though now that I think about it, Blub doesn't really have any bones to be-"

Hailey is cut off by an orange mass jumping on her, enveloping her torso. Hermione lets out a cry of fear, drawing her wand in order to save her cousin.

"Don't worry Hermione, I'm fine! Blub is just giving me a hug!" Hailey says, wiggling her arms inside the creature's slimy body.

Now that Hermione knew her friend wasn't in danger, she found the scene incredibly cute. It nuzzled itself against Hailey's face, emitting a gurgling and cooing sound as Hailey tickled it.

"Hey Blub! I've brought you a new friend! She's my cousin. Hermione, meet SCP-999. We also call him Blub or Tickle Monster for short. You got that candy I gave you? Hold it out for him," Hailey insisted, gently kneeling down to allow the slime mass to fall back down to the floor. It's two dog-like eyes gazed lovingly at Hermione as she bent down and offered a hand full of hard candies to it. The creature gently touched her hand, carrying the candies into its body before gurgling cutely.

Hermione felt a burst of happiness as Blub wrapped itself around her hand. She reached out with her other hand to pet it, causing it too coo and gurgle again. It reached up with a slimy pesudopod and nuzzled against her cheek. Hailey sat down on the tiled floor, gesturing for Hermione to do the same. Blub slithered up to envelop the two girls, tickling them both all over their bodies. Hailey responded by wiggling her feet and hands inside it body, tickling it back. Hermione followed her lead, giggling as she played with the adorable dog-like SCP.

Both girls spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with SCP-999, playing games like fetch, hide-and-seek and engaging in many more tickle-wrestles. Hermione had to admit, even after all the terrifying things she had learnt, there were some serious benefits to living in Site 19.


	4. SCP-5536

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners.**

**A/N: So this isn't an actual chapter, sorry for the confusion. I wrote this for a bit of fun. It's Hailey's SCP file. You can read it here or read it on the SCP Sandbox which has all the formatting of an SCP file: scp-sandbox-3*wikidot*com/loken-16 (replacing the * with full stop).If the link is dead or somebody's vandalised it this chapter contains everything but without the cool formatting.**

**Item #:** SCP-5536

**Security Level:** Level 3 - Confidential

**Containment Class:** Esoteric-Thaumiel

**Disruption Class:** Vlam

**Risk Class:** Caution

**Special Containment Procedures:** SCP-5536 is to be kept in humanoid living quarters stocked with amenities and provided with services approved by Dr. Achilles Mardas. This room is to be equipped with wards used to contain instances of SCP-5500 and a concealed Scranton Reality Anchor beneath the room. Subject is allowed to roam the facility in areas approved by the Site Director at predetermined times. Subject is to be accompanied by at least one approved Foundation employee with Level 3/5536 clearance or above when outside of containment. This clearance is not included within general Level 3 clearance and requires written approval from the Site Director or an O5 Council member. SCP-5536 is allowed to be included in non-invasive research into the SCP-5500 series of anomalies or her own abilities with permission from Dr. Mardas, the Site Director or any of the O5 Council. Subject is known to be cooperative with the SCP Foundation and will obey commands given to her by Foundation personnel.

Any personnel interacting with SCP-5536 must use a calm and non-threatening voice, avoid physical contact and are advised to refer to her by her given name of Hailey Mardas. Under no circumstances must she be brought to a panicked state. When she feels threatened or panicked, SCP-5536 will sometimes cause an involuntary and uncontrollable reality-warping event, often teleporting herself to a random location within the facility and causing breaches in containment of other SCPs. Containment of escaped SCPs and SCP-5536 is to be reestablished using Recall Protocol ██-████.

**Description:** SCP-5536, also known as Hailey Mardas (formerly Hailey Potter), is a 10-year-old girl 134 cm tall and weighing 29.1 kg. To avoid containment breach, any Foundation personnel introduced to SCP-5536 should be accompanied by personnel she feels calm around, preferably Dr. Mardas, which SCP-5536 views as a paternal figure.

SCP-5536 is believed to be an anomalous instance of SCP-5500, a group of humanoid Class 1 and 2 reality warpers and associated flora, fauna, sites and artefacts. Intelligence gathered from contacts within SCP-5500-GBR supports this theory. She is believed by the majority of SCP-5500-GBR to be responsible for the defeat of another instance of SCP-5500 by the name of [REDACTED], in the process surviving what should have been a lethal anomalous ability. SCP-5536 does not display any additional resistance to harm in tests conducted by the Foundation so the reason she survived this event is currently unknown. Requests of further research into this anomalous ability using more severe forms of harm have been denied by the Site Director. Any intelligence about this event is to be logged within incidence report SCP-5536-2011-██-██-1.

The random teleporting behaviour demonstrated by SCP-5536 is inconsistent with other known instances of SCP-5500. Foundation intelligence of SCP-5500 shows that SCP-5536 displays an increased affinity towards teleportation and other forms of spatial manipulation, along with a higher than average resistance to countermeasures to teleporting employed against other instances of SCP-5500. These powers tend to manifest when SCP-5536 is feeling threatened but she has shown the ability to teleport up to a maximum of 101.2 metres at will, though she has said this is "draining" for her. This ability appears to have grown in strength over the past 4 years (maximum distance teleported for previous years are 25.3, 36.1 and 68.7 metres). Recent tests also show that SCP-5536 is capable of remotely teleporting objects or entities in her immediate vicinity to her location, though the limits of this ability are untested. It is unclear if this is a rare ability expected from an instance of SCP-5500 or something unique to SCP-5536. The remote teleporting ability is believed to be the reason containment breach of SCP-5536 triggers the containment breaches of other SCPs. When questioned about these containment breaches, she will express remorse and shame over causing them but will deny doing it intentionally.

In addition to anomalous abilities expected from an instance of SCP-5500 and her potentially unique teleporting ability, SCP-5536 also displays an ability to socialise with certain other SCPs, including ones regarded as highly dangerous to other SCPs and Foundation personnel. SCPs affected by SCP-5536 are calmer and less lethal than usual, being reduced to a docile or even protective state while in her presence. During containment breaches SCPs affected by SCP-5536 are often drawn to her, especially during containment breaches triggered by SCP-5536 herself. The reason for this is currently unknown, but interviews and observations of SCPs known to associate with SCP-5536 suggest that they may genuinely care for her. When interviewed, SCP-5536 is unable to explain why this occurs, but has stated that she enjoys being with and cares for the other SCPs. SCP-5536 has been granted permission by the O5 Council to visit certain SCPs periodically. These visits have been shown to result in some SCPs being more compliant with the Foundation and less likely to make an escape attempt for up to a week after the visits.

Tests conducted into the mind of SCP-5536 indicate the presence of an as-yet unidentified entity designated SCP-5536-1 tied to the distinctive scar upon her chest. The nature, intentions or abilities of this entity are unknown, but attempts to remove SCP-5536-1 have been met with failure. SCP-5536 is unaware of the existence of SCP-5536-1, but has complained about a burning pain in her heart accompanied by nightmares involving flashes of green or red light. Whether this has any relation to SCP-5536-1 or event SCP-5536-2011-██-██ is unclear. SCP-5536 has received Cognitive Resistance Training in an attempt to combat the influence of SCP-5536-1. The effectiveness of this training is currently being evaluated.

**Addendum 5536.1:** Recall Protocol ██-████

SCP-5536 is to be located as soon as possible. The position of SCP-5536 is to be treated as a likely location of any unaccounted for Keter-class SCPs accidentally released by her. Once an escaped SCP reaches SCP-5536, they are likely to remain in her presence and in a docile state until a recall strategy can be created and implemented, lowering the number of fatalities and difficulties involved with reestablishing containment. Use of SCP-5536 in recontaining escaped SCPs is strictly limited to SCPs confirmed to be affected by her.

**Addendum 5536.2:** Discovery

The Foundation first became aware of the existence of SCP-5536 via information gathered from SCP-5500-GBR after event SCP-5536-2011-██-██. As per Foundation policy in situations involving SCP-5500, no effort was made to retrieve SCP-5536. She later became of interest to The Foundation after event SCP-5536-2016-██-██, where SCP-5536 displayed anomalous reality-warping abilities within the residential neighbourhood of [DATA EXPUNGED]. Witnesses saw SCP-5536, currently 6 years old and covered in blood and bruises, being chased out of a house by an overweight middle-aged male wielding a bloodied rolling-pin loudly screaming the word "freak" while a middle-aged woman demanded SCP-5536 return inside the house. The male grabbed SCP-5536 and attempted to pull her inside, which triggered a shockwave from SCP-5536, flinging the man away from her and shattering multiple windows in the neighbourhood. The police were called to the scene, arriving just before Mobile Task Force Robin-3 was deployed at the location to administer amnestics to erase the last 3 hours from everybody who witnessed the event. Dr. Mardas personally secured SCP-5536 and attempt to console her and treat her numerous injuries. The identities of the male and female were confirmed to be [DATA EXPUNGED]. Both were tried and found guilty of child abuse. They were later taken by the Foundation as D Class personnel for use in Site-██. Neither survived the first week.

One week later SCP-5536 was confirmed to be an instance of SCP-5500. She was offered to take amnestics and be turned over to authorities within SCP-5500-GBR in accordance with Foundation policy towards instances of SCP-5500. SCP-5536 denied the amnestics, insisting she would rather stay with The Foundation and Dr. Mardas, who she refused to be separated from. SCP-5536 was put under the authority of Dr. Mardas and transferred to Site 19.

**Addendum 5536.3:** Notes on Behaviour

SCP-5536 initially was quite fearful of all Foundation personnel, only ever speaking to Dr. Mardas. Despite this, she was eager to help any Foundation personnel in any way she could, from making them coffee to participating in harmful tests. Multiple Foundation personnel noted that she seemed to expect severe punishment as a consequence of not completing or failing any of these tasks. To help improve her psychological health, Dr. Mardas ordered SCP-5536 to spent a few hours each week with SCP-999. Reports on SCP-5536 made over the following weeks showed a noticeable improvement in her confidence and happiness. She is now described as talkative and outgoing, but still very helpful and friendly to Foundation personnel. Her relationship with Dr. Mardas has also improved. One year after being secured by the Foundation, she accidentally called Dr. Mardas "Dad". Since then, Dr. Mardas has agreed to be her adoptive father and began referring to SCP-5536 as his daughter. SCP-5536 has also requested to be called Hailey Mardas instead of [REDACTED].

SCP-5536 will spend most of her day helping the Foundation with research (she is known to particularly enjoy helping in botanical research), attending lessons with Foundation scientists or spending time with approved SCPs.

**Addendum 5536.4:** First Containment Breach

The following interview was conducted by Dr. Alfred Hall 1 month after SCP-5536 arrived at the facility.

**Date:** 10/12/16

**Interviewer:** Dr. Alfred Hall

**Interviewee:** SCP-5536

**[BEGIN LOG]**

**SCP-5536:** …Who are you?

**Dr. Hall:** Hello. My name is Dr. Alfred Hall. I'm here to ask you some questions.

**SCP-5536:** Where is Mr. Mardas?

**Dr. Hall:** He is currently preoccupied, but I've been assigned to interview you.

**SCP-5536:** What do you want to know?

**Dr. Hall:**Can you tell us anything about your abilities?

**SCP-5536:** I can do things I can't explain. Heal injuries. Escape from a chase. Make myself hidden when I don't want to be found. I once teleported myself onto the roof of my school-

**Dr. Hall:** Can you provide us more detail? Run me through the events that lead up to the use of your abilities.

**SCP-5536:** …

**Dr. Hall:** SCP-5536, can you please answer the question?

**SCP-5536:** (appears agitated) I was scared.

**Dr. Hall:** You'll need to elaborate. What triggered this fear response?

**SCP-5536:** …I don't want to.

**Dr. Hall:** SCP-5536-

**SCP-5536:** My name is Hailey!

**Observation Notes:** SCP-5536 appears to be distressed. The lights in the interrogation room flicker and burst. SCP-5536 disappears in a flash of blue light. Dr. Hall is escorted out of the room and the containment breach alarm is activated.

**[END LOG]**

The Foundation was later made aware that the pressure sensors within the cell of SCP-096 show an increased weight equivalent to the weight of SCP-5536. Audio recordings indicated SCP-5536 was still alive. Personnel Agent [REDACTED], D-94312, D-94361 and D-94478 were assigned to recover SCP-5536 under the orders of Dr. Mardas and Dr. [REDACTED]. The audio log was archived. Video footage of the event has been deleted to prevent a containment breach of SCP-096.

**Dr. [REDACTED]:** If she's still alive, it means she hasn't looked at it yet.

**Dr. Mardas:** I don't recall Hailey knowing about 096, but I want her out of that cell now!

**Agent [REDACTED]:** We'll open the cell and go in blind. The four of us should be enough to block 096 from escaping while we get 5536 out of there. We'll need to move quick before he gets curious.

**Dr. [REDACTED]:** We've got lasers to monitor the position of SCP-096. If it moves, we'll let you know. It's currently in the east side of the room, with 5536.

**Agent [REDACTED]:** Understood. Tell the guards to unseal the doors.

**Observation Notes:** The four security personnel enter the room as soon as the doors slide open. Dr. Mardas positions himself beside the door.

**Dr. Mardas:** (voice appears panicked) OK Hailey, follow the sound of my voice. Whatever you do, don't open your eyes! Hurry now, just follow my voice.

**SCP-5536:** Hi Mr. Mardas! Look, I made a new friend!

**Agent [REDACTED]:** What!?

**D-94478:** AH, I looked at it!

**Agent [REDACTED]:** [EXPLETIVE]! Everyone back away! Do not open your eyes!

**Dr. Mardas:** This isn't funny Hailey! Get our here now before that thing kills you!

**SCP-5536:** But David is so nice! He may look a bit scary but he's such a great listener!

**Dr. Mardas:** What? Who's David?

**Observation Notes:** D-94478 runs out of the cell, followed by D-94312.

**Dr. [REDACTED]:** Why isn't it following them? It hasn't even moved!

**Agent [REDACTED]:** Doctor, you may want to see this…

**Observation Notes:** Dr Mardas rushes into the cell, not even bothering to shield his eyes. He would later describe SCP-096 being curled up next to SCP-5536, sighing in contentment. SCP-5536 grinned up at him, gently patting SCP-096's pale skin. Despite Dr. Mardas looking straight at SCP-096, it only gave a mewl in protest, curling up tighter against its new friend. SCP-5536 gave SCP-096 a hug before standing up and running over to wrap her arms around Dr. Mardas.

**SCP-5536:** I missed you!

**[END LOG]**

Incident SCP-096-4-A is the first recorded instance where somebody has looked at SCP-096's face and survived. SCP-5536's recount of events say she appeared in the cell of SCP-096 after teleporting away from the interview room. She was initially scared, but SCP-096 remained docile and even tried to comfort her by sitting next to her and stroking her hair. She spent 10 minutes having a one-sided conversation with SCP-096, eventually deciding to call it "David" which she says SCP-096 likes. SCP-5536 has agreed to further testing with "David" to help Foundation workers explain the anomalous behaviour shown by SCP-096.

The results of these experiments have shown that SCP-096 can be viewed while in the presence of SCP-5536. Photos taken of SCP-096 are viewable if SCP-5536 is also nearby in the image or SCP-5536 is near the real SCP-096 at the time of viewing. An image of SCP-096 and SCP-5536 becomes dangerous if SCP-5536 is cropped out or otherwise obscured. SCP-5536 cannot be added into the image via editing software.

**Addendum 5536.5:** Interview with SCP-049 pertaining to SCP-5536

SCP-5536 was introduced to SCP-049 one month ago in a test to determine her effect on him. SCP-049 reacted positively to her presence, declaring her free of 'The Pestilence' almost immediately. The two SCPs engaged in pleasant conversation in topics ranging from medicine (in which SCP-049 was uncharacteristically patient with SCP-5536's lack of medical knowledge) to life in the Foundation and favourite foods (which SCP-049 stated was Crème brûlée despite never been observed eating). This conversation has been logged under file SCP-049-2018-██-██-1. SCP-5536 has visited SCP-049 weekly since this event, in which SCP-049 has begun teaching SCP-5536 medicine.

The following interview was conducted by Dr. Elijah Itkin 12 days after SCP-5536 last met SCP-049.

**Date:** 4/7/18

**Interviewer:** Dr. Elijah Itkin

**Interviewee:** SCP-049

**[BEGIN LOG]**

**Dr. Itkin:** We've been logging your requests for the past month, and we can't help but notice that you have made numerous attempts to increase your allocated time with SCP-5536.

**SCP-049:** Ah! Hailey! Such a brilliant girl. She shows much promise! I am confident that once I finish teaching her she will bring us one step closer to developing the ultimate cure to the Pestilence. I am glad that you have provided me with such a promising apprentice, though I do wish you would allow me more time to teach her.

**Dr. Itkin:** You do not feel anything strange around SCP-5536?

**SCP-049:** Only excitement! With time, Hailey will learn to understand the Pestilence as I do. And with a few more test subjects provided by your organisation, we will be one step closer to ridding the world of it's grasp. Surely your willingness to provide me with a pupil is a sign that you are finally taking my warnings seriously?

**Dr. Itkin:** SCP-04-

**SCP-049:** Louis!

**Dr. Itkin:** What?

**SCP-049:** Doctor Louis! Hailey told me that she didn't like calling me Doctor. She said it wasn't fair for me to not have a name, and I agree. A medical professional such as myself should have a name. Hailey told me Louis was the name of another brilliant doctor from my homeland, who cured many diseases with his work.

**Dr. Itkin:** Well… Doctor Louis, you say that you don't notice anything abnormal about your behaviour when around SCP-5536? You don't feel she may be unconsciously compelling you in any way?

**SCP-049:** Nonsense! I simply recognised an uninfected and promising individual! Hailey may be ignorant of the Pestilence, but she has the dedication to learn. She is a kind and caring person, untouched by the ravages of the Great Blight. Hailey will be a brilliant doctor one day.

**Dr. Itkin:** Thank you for your time… Louis. We'll see about increasing the amount of time SCP-5536 spends with you.

S**CP-049:** Thank you, Dr. Itkin!

**[END LOG]**

**Interviewer's Note:** SCP-049's time with SCP-5536 has been increased from 2 hours to 4 hours per week.

The results of this interview has helped show that SCPs affected by SCP-5536 are unaware of their uncharacteristic behaviour and genuinely like SCP-5536. The exact nature of SCP-5536's abilities are still unknown, but no SCPs affected by them have shown any hostility towards her.

SCP-049 has since begun teaching SCP-5536 basic biology, anatomy and how to identify common ailments such as broken bones or the Flu. These lessons have been recorded by the Foundation. The content he is teaching her is so-far completely non-anomalous, with on-site medical professionals stating that SCP-049's teaching content and methods heavily resemble introductory medical courses. They have confirmed that SCP-049 is teaching SCP-5536 useful and accurate medical knowledge. When asked about this, SCP-049 states that she must first learn to treat the symptoms of the Pestilence before learning how to cure it.

SCP-049 has also requested to be referred to as Louis.

**A/N: I've also decided to use this end Author's Note to respond to reviews.**

**Yukine-ren: Glad you like the story. I'll be adding in some further connections in later chapters. Things like a shared history between the Foundation and the Magical World and having the SCPs involved in the main plotline.**

**FanGirl: I know right? The Chaos Insurgency's got nothing on them.**

**PasiveNox: Thanks for the compliments.**

**Guest (1st one): SCP stands for both Secure Contain Protect (the Foundation's motto) and Special Containment Procedures.**

**Guest (2nd one): I couldn't find any canon sources giving SCP-053 a proper name. If there is some and I haven't found it, sorry in advance.**


	5. Chapter 4: The Hidden Alley

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners.**

**EDIT: So I just realised that all of the linebreaks I added into Google Docs didn't transfer over to Fanfiction. So I've had to edit all of my chapters. **

Hailey's first experience with the Floo Network was not the greatest, to put it lightly. It had felt like being compressed to the size of an atom and then shot out of a railgun. When she appeared in the British Ministry, Hagrid had to catch her to stop her from collapsing on the floor. Hailey stumbled into his arms, a veil of pitchblack hair obscuring her vision. She should really have tied her hair back this morning. Rubbing her temples, Hailey tried to clear her headache while Hagrid looked at her with concern.

"First time yer used the Floo?" Hagrid asked with a smile. Hailey was about to respond, but her voice trailed away as she took sight of the Ministry interior. Hundreds of people milled around the black stone building, more than Hailey had ever seen before. In the distance, a golden statue towered over the crowd. The Fountain of Magical Brethren, Hailey's mind supplied.

"Wow, this place is huge!"

"Welcome ter the Ministry of Magic!" Hagrid shouted, drawing dirty looks from some of the passerbys.

Hailey had read about this place before she'd left. The report had some very unflattering things to say about the British Ministry. Why the Foundation let Dr. Clef write it, she didn't know. She had learnt 4 new swear words from his description of Cornelius Fudge alone. Speaking of which…

"That's Cornelius Fudge. He's the current Minister o' Magic. He's a bungler if yer ask me, pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning askin' him what ter do," Hagrid commented, noticing Hailey looking at the banner hanging from the roof. Dr. Clef was right, he _did _look like a mouldy potato!

"We'll be wanting ter leave 'fore the place starts gettin' busy," Hagrid told her, pointing towards a red telephone box. "The House Elves'll get the bike back teh Hogwarts."

Hailey squeezed in with Hagrid into the booth, trying to find some space not occupied by the giant man. She stumbled against the wall as the telephone box began to glide upwards. The Ministry of Magic is beneath London, Hailey remembered. She wondered idly if they were anywhere near SCP-1678.

The telephone booth came to a smooth stop as they reached the surface. Hailey all but fell out when the door open, again only being prevented by Hagrid's timely intervention. He chuckled again, steadying her on the pavement.

"Yeh mum was never a fan of those telephones either," he chortled, gesturing for Hailey to follow. The mention of her birth mum sparked Hailey's curiosity, but she resolved herself to wait until later to ask her questions. She trailed after the giant, who carved a path through the crowded streets of London and the terminals of the Underground with his immense size.

The only major problem they had was trying to work out the cost of the tickets. Hagrid didn't understand "Muggle money" and Hailey had only ever handled American money. They then settled in for a short train ride, made severely awkward by all the sharp looks from the other passengers.

Eventually Hailey caught sight of the corner pub that led into Diagon Alley. She noticed with interest that passing non-magicals seemed unable to notice it's existence. Achilles had told her about some research the Foundation had conducted here in the 1930s, determining that non-magicals could only see the entrance if they knew it existed.

"Here we are, the Leaky Cauldron! Best we get sommin' to eat 'fore we go inside," Hagrid explained. Hailey's stomach gave a timely growl and the young girl realised she hadn't eaten all morning. She trailed behind Hagrid, stepping into the warm atmosphere of the pub.

For the entrance to one of the most important sites in the British magical world, the Leaky Cauldron was surprisingly dark and dirty. The midday sun struggled to pierce through the grime-covered windows. The bar was surprisingly empty, but those there seemed to recognise Hagrid. The patrons didn't spare Hailey a second glance.

"The usual, Hagrid?" the bartender asked.

"Not today Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business. Just gonna get sommin' for Hailey ter eat and then we'll be headin' into the alley," Hagrid replied, placing a hand gently on Hailey's shoulder. Suddenly, everybody in the bar had turned to look at her, Hagrid's words silencing the moment her name was mentioned. Hailey seemed to shrink in herself under their stares, wishing she could just teleport away.

"Blimey, is that-" the barman began, "Hailey Potter, what an honour!"

He leaned over the bar and seized her hand in a handshake, then turned to tell Hagrid she could eat whatever she wanted on the house. Hailey tried to protest, but the patrons had surrounded her.

"Doris Crockford, Miss Potter! Truly a blessing to have you here!"

"Good lord, Hailey Potter?"

"What a sweet little girl! So proud to be here Miss Potter!"

"Delighted, Miss Potter, words can't express it. Diggle's the name."

Hailey was overwhelmed, shaking hands with everybody in the bar. She honestly didn't see what all the fuss was about. Of course she knew about how she had defeated a dark wizard as a child, but she didn't really know the details. Hailey just didn't really consider it all that impressive. She knew dozens of people in the Foundation who had vanquished greater threats than some Bin Laden wannabe.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a pale man in a turban. He looked nervous, like he would run out of the room at a moment's notice.

"Blimey, Professor Quirrell!" shouted Hagrid, "Hailey, let me introduce you to Professor Quirrell, he'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts."

"P-P-Potter," Quirrell stammered, "An a-absolute p-p-pleasure to m-meet you. You'll be g-getting your equip-m-ment, I s-suppose?"

Hailey wondered how this man could ever be a teacher, let alone teach defense. He honestly seemed afraid of his own shadow, like one good scare would give him a heart attack. Hagrid chatted with Quirrell for a while before the man left, presumably to pick up that book on vampires he was so scared about.

"Really tragedy, that is. Brilliant bloke. Went off ter get some first-hand experience, ended up runnin' into some vampire clan. Hasn' been the same since," Hagrid trailed off as he sat down on one of the grimey tables. Their food arrived very quickly, yet Tom the bartender still apologised for the wait. Hailey complimented him on the quality of the food, causing the older man to beam with pride. She sat in silence, eating her food with Hagrid. Suddenly, she remembered a question she needed to ask.

"Hagrid, earlier you mentioned my mother. Did you know her?"

"Ar, I knew them. Lily and James Potter, brightest witch an' wizard of their generation, if you ask me. You could never find nicer people. They loved yeh to bits. I'll never forget yer father's goofy grin whenever he would hold yeh."

Hagrid had a happy smile on his face as he recounted memories of her parents. Hailey was hit with a sudden wave of sadness. She'd always consider Achilles as her dad, but hearing stories about her birth parents made her wish she'd gotten a chance to know them.

"What were they like like?" Hailey asked, eager to hear more about them.

"Yer mother was a smart one. Smart, but carin'. Yeh remind me o' her, yeh even got her eyes. But tha' hair an' smile, that's James. He was a good man. Brave an' very loyal. He could always make yeh smile when you were upset."

Hailey smiled, as if to confirm Hagrid's statement. But there was sadness in her eyes. Her parents sounded like wonderful people who loved her, and she'd never been given the chance to know them. Instead they were killed and she'd been sent to the Dursleys. That thought brought up a spark of anger in her. She'd met dozens of people today, all congratulating her for defeating some wizard, but nobody had even alluded to her parent's existence. They were the ones who had given their lives.

"Hagrid, what happened to them? I know they were killed, but why them?" Hailey asked. The Foundation didn't have a clue why her family was targeted, but Hailey wanted to know.

"Nobody knows. They were close ter Dumbledore in the day, but You-Know-Who rarely conducted attacks in person. Maybe he wanted sommin' from 'em. Maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is tha' 10 years ago on Hallowe'en night he turned up in the village where you was all livin'. He came ter yeh house an'-" Hagrid stopped to blow his nose with a dirty handkerchief. "Sorry, always tear up thinkin' about James an' Lily. Anyway, he came ter yeh house, an' he just killed both of 'em. Yer father tried ter buy some time, You-Know-Who didn' even give him time to draw his wand. Then he came for Lily. Killed her while she held you in her arms. Then - an' here's the real myst'ry of it all - he tried ter kill you. But he couldn' do it. Shot yeh right in the heart with one o' the most evil curses known, same one tha' killed yer parents, but it didn' work on you."

Hailey placed a hand over her heart, where the lightning-bolt scar had begun to burn angrily. She could remember the flash of green light, more clearly now than she ever had before. But for the first time in her life, she remembered something else. A flash of scarlet light and a cold, hollow laugh echoing through her soul.

"Who was this wizard?" Hailey stammered once the pain had faded.

"I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. Names have power, 'specially his. People are still scared. Some think if yer say his name, he could return."

"Could you write it down?"

"Dunno how ter spell it. Fine-," Hagrid began, leaning down to Hailey.

"Voldemort," Hagrid whispered. A nearby wizard flinched and turned to give Hagrid a dirty look.

"And what happened to Vol- sorry- the dark wizard?" Hailey asked.

"Some say he died. Rubbish if yer ask me. Dunno if he had enough human left in him ter die. Some reckon he's still out there, biding his time. People who were on his side came back ter ours. Said they came outta trances. But who knows how much o' that is true. No, I reckon he's still out there. Weak an' powerless, waiting to come back. Somethin' about you stopped him tha' night. Somethin' he hadn't counted on. Nobody knows what it was, but you stopped him all right," Hagrid finished, taking a swig from his tankard. Hailey mulled over what he'd told her. The thought of her parent's killer still being alive did not sit right with her. Hagrid seemed to notice her feelings, because he leaned over to rest his hand on her forearm.

"I know this can be difficult ter hear. But yeh parents, if they were here, I'm sure they'd be proud o' you."

They ate silently for the remainder of the meal. Hagrid paid the bartender, despite his protests, and gestured for her to follow him to the back of the bar. Hailey could feel the void behind the brick wall. They must be close. Hagrid drew his umbrella, muttering to himself as he tapped the bricks on the wall. Hailey watched in awe as the bricks folded back in on themselves, revealing a winding cobblestone road lined with shops of all descriptions.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley!"

The midday sun shone down upon the alley as Hailey turned to look at all the wondrous sights they passed. She'd read about this place, but seeing it in person was completely different. They passed a book shop that Hermione had spent half an hour talking about when she last visited. She saw some boys pointing at a broom in the window of the shop. Street vendors were displaying all sorts of items, from potion ingredients to enchanted kitchenware. Hailey spotted the ice cream shop she was supposed to meet Hermione in a few hours, before Hagrid pointed to a tall marble building that loomed impressively over the other buildings.

"That's Gringotts. Wizardin' bank," Hagrid supplied.

She followed Hagrid into the bank, looking curiously at the small creatures behind the tables. Goblins, she realised. As Hailey entered she took the time to read the words engraved on the door. So they keep their treasure underground? That would explain why Hailey could feel a large void beneath the bank. Hagrid walked over to a free goblin, presenting him with a key.

"Morning," Hagrid greeted the goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Miss Potter's trust vault. I got her key right here. And somethin' else from Dumbledore, about the You-Know-What in vault 713."

Hagrid handed the small key over to the goblin, along with a grubby letter. The goblin inspected the key closely, before opening and reading the letter.

"All seems to be in order. I'll have Griphook take you down to the vaults," the goblin said after he'd finished his inspection. Hailey gave him a polite nod and smile, before turning to follow Hagrid and the other goblin. She wondered what was so important about Vault 713, but she knew a secret when saw one and wouldn't pry.

Griphook took her onto a rusted cart, which sped down at an almost vertical angle down a dark cavern. Hailey focused her mind outwards to plot their course, but the winding and sudden turns made it impossible for her to focus on her abilities. They finally came to a screeching halt before a small door in the wall. Both Hagrid and Hailey stumbled out of the cart, neither of them having enjoyed the ride. Griphook ignored them, walking up to the door and unlocking it with her key.

Hailey looked in awe at the mountains of gold and silver in the vault. She'd never had much need for money, but this would easily cover her Hogwarts years. Hagrid helpfully explained the wizarding currency to her. Why did it have to involve so many uneven numbers?

She gathered some money into a small bag, which Hagrid told her would be more than enough to cover today's shopping, before she had to go back into that damnable cart. Hailey considered just teleporting back to the surface, but if she did then she'd have a lot of explaining to do. As far as Hagrid knew, she was adopted by an American Firstblood family (or Muggleborn, as the British liked to call them). The Foundation were very thorough with their mindwipe.

Two more minutes of being on the worst roller coaster ride in existence and they pulled up to another vault. This one had a much grander door than the previous. She could feel a large space behind it. Whatever was on the other side, it must be very small. For this door, Griphook ran his finger down the divide, causing the door to melt away.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door to the other side," Griphook smirked.

"How often do you check if somebody is behind the door?" Hailey asked.

"About once every decade or so," Griphook finished with a sinister smile. Hailey suspected she could have teleported through those doors. But she really didn't want to test that theory. The doors slid away from the frame and Hailey peered over the Goblin to see what was inside. At first, she thought the vault to be empty. But then she caught sight of the small wrapped packaged sitting by itself in the middle of the vault. Hagrid bent over to pick it up, stuffing it into one of his many pockets.

"Best we be gettin' back to the alley. And don't ask any questions, it's best if I keep my mouth shut," Hagrid explained.

She suddenly felt a bit homesick.

* * *

Hailey and Hagrid both stumbled out of the cart after another awful ride to the surface. Hagrid had to lean against the wall outside of Gringotts to steady himself.

"Might as well get yer uniform," Hagrid said, gesturing towards 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions'. "Hailey, you wouldn' mind if I slipped off fer a drink in the Leaky Cauldron? I really hate those carts."

She nodded and smiled at him, understanding completely what he was feeling. She took off to Madam Malkin's with the small purse of money for her school supplies. Madam Malkin asked her if she wanted Hogwarts robes, before gesturing to go to the back room to be fitted.

Another person was already there when she entered. He was a pale boy, just as pale as Hailey herself, with a well-defined face and straight blonde hair. The boy turned to look at her, staring into her green eyes with his steely grey ones as another witch took measurements for his robe.

"Hi there! Are you going to Hogwarts too?" she asked, introducing herself to the boy. The boy seemed slightly startled by her enthusiasm, taking a moment to respond.

"Yes. My parents are next door looking at school supplies. Then we're going to take a look at brooms," the boy drawled, turning to look at Hailey with a curious look.

Draco didn't know what to make of the girl in front of him. She had a soft heart-shaped face framed by shoulder-length black hair and a delicate build. She looked like one of those girls his mother would describe as cute and try to introduce him too, though she seemed more relaxed than any of the British Purebloods he'd met. Her eyes were a deep green, filled with joy and excitement. The girl had a sweet melodic voice and a distinctly American accent, which confused Draco. Didn't the Americans have their own school?

"That sounds fun," Hailey grinned, interested in talking to another Hogwarts student her age. "Are you looking to play in one of the Hogwarts Quidditch teams?"

"I am. Father says it would be a crime if I'm not picked for my team. I play chaser and seeker, do you play?" Draco asked in his drawling voice, warming up to the strange American girl.

Hailey was slightly taken aback by the boy's apparent spoilt attitude.

"No, I don't play. But I want to. Some of my dad's… _friends_... introduced me to the National Quidditch League when I was young and I've followed the sport since."

Draco grinned internally. So the girl was from a wizarding family? Good. He would definitely keep tabs on her. Father always said to look out for potential allies.

"If you're any good I hope you get sorted into Slytherin. Do you know which house you'll be sorted into?" Draco questioned, genuinely curious. Though she was quite loud, the girl was pleasant enough to be around. He'd enjoy having her as an ally, so Draco hoped she'd be sorted into Slytherin.

"Not really. I'm not from around here, so I don't know much about the Hogwarts houses," Hailey mused. Of course, she knew _of _the Hogwarts houses, but doesn't know the significance of them.

"Well there are four. Gryffindor is full of brutish fools. Ravenclaw is alright, they're the bookworms. Hufflepuff, they just take what's left over. Slytherin is the best house, for the ambitious and cunning. Only decent house in Hogwarts. My whole family was in Slytherin," Draco finished with a proud smirk. He turned to see the girl's disapproving look. She looked like she was going to say something, but Madam Malkin interrupted her to tell her that her robes were done.

"Well I'll see you at Hogwarts I suppose," Hailey mumbled, eager to get away from the boy.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, by the way," Draco bragged, emphasising the last name as if that was supposed to mean something to her as she moved to leave.

"Hailey Mardas. _Pleasure _to meet you," Hailey replied, turning around to address the boy only to nearly run into an older woman by the door. The woman was tall, dressed in a stylish green robe. She had long black hair with blond streaks tied up in a neat bun and was staring down at Hailey imperiously.

"Made a new friend, Draco?" the woman inquired, looking down at Hailey with icy blue eyes.

"Mother, this is Hailey Mardas. She was just getting her robes," Malfoy reported, emphasising her last name and stepping off the platform.

"Narcissa Malfoy, I'm Draco's mother," the woman introduced herself, slightly bowing her head to the girl. Hailey copied her action, bowing her head to the taller woman.

"A pleasure, Mrs Malfoy," Hailey replied, slightly intimidated by Narcissa.

"I do hope my son has not been too much of a bother, Miss Mardas. You seem like a lovely lady," Narcissa observed. She did not recognise the name Mardas. But Narcissa was a shrewd woman, she would not alienate a potential ally of the Malfoy family by being impolite.

Besides, Narcissa thought as she watched the girl pay for her robes and exit the shop, based on the conversation she had overheard from the other room, this was the first girl Draco had spoken openly too. She wasn't about to crush that relationship until she knew more about the American girl.

* * *

Hailey was quick to exit Madam Malkin's once Mrs Malfoy had arrived. She didn't like the way the woman seemed to be constantly analysing her. It had felt like she was in one of the Foundation's tests. She suddenly remembered that she was supposed to be meeting Hermione at the ice cream parlour. Hagrid had yet to return, but the ice cream parlour was on the way from the Leaky Cauldron and she doubted she'd miss an 8 foot giant passing by.

She made her way down the winding alley to the shop and smiled once she saw Hermione and her parents seated at one of the tables, looking quite out of place. Hermione seemed utterly fascinated by the place, even though unlike Hailey she'd been here many times before. Her cousin turned and spotted her, giving her a wave which Hailey returned and gesturing for Hailey to take a seat next to her.

"Hailey! I missed you," Hermione grinned, standing up to give Hailey a hug.

"Missed you too Hermione!" Hailey replied, breaking the hug to give Helen and Daniel one. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hagrid being handed two ice cream cones over the counter.

"Hagrid! Over here!" Hailey shouted, waving to the giant man. He turned around to spot Hailey sitting on the bench with the Grangers.

"Hailey! I was just gettin' yeh an ice cream," Hagrid said. "Did you buy yer robes already?"

"Yeah, Madam Malkin finished quickly. I was just coming over to meet with my cousin here," Hailey explained, turning back to the Grangers. "Everyone, meet Hagrid. Dumbledore sent him to escort me to Diagon Alley. Hagrid, meet Hermione, Helen and Daniel Granger."

"Nice ter meet yeh!" Hagrid bellowed with a smile, stepping out of line to shake their hands. The older Grangers were a bit intimidated by the man's size and dishevelled look, but they warmed up to him quickly once Hagrid stopped crushing them in his handshake. He handed Hailey her ice cream cone, which she thanked him for and shared with Hermione. After a few minutes of pleasant conversation the two younger girls both excused themselves to continue shopping for Hailey's school supplies.

"So Hailey. Does Hagrid know about… you know," Hermione whispered once they had lost sight of the parents, her voice trailing off as she looked at Hailey.

"No. They wiped his memory when he arrived. Now he thinks I've been raised by an American Firstblood," Hailey recounted in a whisper. They were browsing books in a nearly empty bookstore, Hermione quietly giving her opinion on every book Hailey looked at.

"That's horrible! Do you guys really do that to people?" Hermione hissed, glaring at Hailey.

"Hermione, the Foundation does not take risks when it comes to our secrecy," Hailey hissed back. "If our existence was revealed to the public, it could spell disaster for the world, normal and magical."

Hermione huffed angrily, but didn't respond. No matter the justification, picking through a person's mind did not sit well with her. Nor did Hailey's zealous views on the issue.

Hailey decided to pick up a few additional books on defensive spells and healing. Learning a bit of healing magic would definitely impress Louis. Hermione picked up some books on Transfiguration, which she'd been interested in ever since McGonagall turned her teacup into a mouse. Hermione had insisted on paying for the books as a birthday present.

"We'd best be heading back. My parents told us to be back in an hour for getting your wand," Hermione insisted. Hailey was looking forward to getting her own wand. She'd used Hermione's a few times and gotten to use some testing wands the Foundation kept, but her own wand would be way more effective at channeling her magic.

They walked back to the ice cream parlour, where Hermione's parents were talking pleasantly with Hagrid about Hogwarts. Hagrid was holding a cage containing a snowy-white owl. They stopped when they saw the two girls approach.

"Did you two have fun shopping?" Helen asked.

"I did. I bought some new books," Hermione announced with pride.

"What a surprise," Daniel grinned, voice dripping with sarcasm. Hermione glared as her father chuckled and gave her a pat on the head.

"Oh stop it you! How about you Hailey?" Helen inquired.

"I just got my school books and a few extra books on defensive spells. I figured they'd come in handy," Hailey recounted. Daniel grabbed the two stacks of books and placed them into a bag which he slung over his shoulder.

"Oh Hailey, I got yeh a birthday present!" Hagrid announced, presenting her with the snowy white owl.

"Hagrid, she's beautiful! Thank you! I'm going to call her Hedwig," Hailey smiled, giving the giant man a hug. He chuckled and returned her hug.

"Well, let's be off then. We've got to get Hailey a wand," Daniel reminded, stepping out of the table. The three Grangers walked up in front, Hermione walking between her parents. Hailey trailed back with Hagrid.

"Hagrid, I met another future Hogwarts student earlier. He was talking about the school houses. The boy seemed to think Slytherin was the best house. Do you know anything about them?"

"Well there's four of 'em. There's Gryffindor, both yer parents were in that house. Ravenclaw, full o' smart an' clever people. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a bunch o' duffers, but they're still better than Slytherin. There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one," Hagrid explained. Hailey didn't honestly know which house she'd be in. She could see herself in any of the four. But she hoped she'd be in the same house as Hermione.

* * *

A soft chime of a bell echoed through the empty shop as Hailey stepped inside. She scanned the interior, staring in awe at the shelves full of narrow boxes. There must have been thousands of wands here.

"Good Afternoon," a voice called out from behind her. Hailey jumped in fright, causing a few wand boxes to tumble to the ground with a burst of accidental magic. She spun around to see an old man looking at her questioningly.

"Good Afternoon, Mr Ollivander," Hermione greeted, waving to the old man. Her parents waved awkwardly behind her.

"Ah, Miss Granger. Ten and three-quarter inches, vinewood with a dragon heartstring core. You were here last year?" Mr Ollivander asked.

"That's right. I'm here with my cousin, she's getting her first wand," Hermione explained, pointing to Hailey.

"Ah, and what's your name?" Ollivander asked, turning to look at Hailey.

"I'm Hailey Mardas, Mr Ollivander."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Miss Mardas. Come, let's get you a wand then," Ollivander said, before catching sight of the giant man behind the shelves. "Rubeus Hagrid! Nice to see you again. Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy? I assume you're escorting Miss Mardas?"

"Yes, sir. Just gettin' her Hogwarts shoppin' done 'fore school starts," Hagrid answered.

"Well then, best get started. Miss Mardas, do you which is your wand arm?"

"My right hand," Hailey replied. Mr Ollivander pulled out a tape measure to make extensive measures of seemingly random parts of her body.

"It's important to get the measurements right. It helps me narrow down which wand is right for you. Though naturally it is the wand that chooses the witch," Ollivander explained with a smile as he measured her shoulder width. "Have you ever used a wand before?"

"I have. I've used Hermione's wand and a few different ones my dad lent me, but I've heard it's important to have your own wand."

Mr Ollivander nodded his head in confirmation, stowing away the tape measure and pulling a wand out from the top shelf.

"Try this one, Miss Mardas," he ordered. She had barely touched the wand before it was snatched out of her hands. "No, that's not the right one at all. A maple wand, perhaps?"

She again tried flicking the wand, which caused some wand boxes to fling themselves off the shelf. Hermione had to duck to avoid getting hit. Mr Ollivander handed her another wand and again snatched it out of her hands almost immediately.

"Ah, a difficult customer! I love a challenge! Ollivander declared with excitement in his large eyes. "Let's try a cedar wand with a unicorn hair?"

He handed her a small cedar wand, which produced a loud cracking sound when she held it. Ollivander again took the wand out of her hands and added it to the growing pile of wands.

"Maybe this one will work? Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches long?"

She felt a burst of warmth from the wand as she grabbed it. Hailey gave the wand a flick, causing the discarded wand boxes to levitate gently off the ground. Looking back up at Ollivander, she could see a perplexed expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Hailey asked.

"Nothing, the wand chose you. But I'm just wondering why _that _wand chose you. The Phoenix that gave the feather used in that wand also gave another. Another feather, which was used in the wand belonging to the darkest wizard of the modern era," Ollivander shuddered.

"You mean, You-Know-Who?" Hailey whispered, clutching the wand tightly. Ollivander didn't respond, he just nodded grimly. She paid him for the wand, before leaving to rejoin her companions. Just before she left, Hailey turned back towards Ollivander, who was looking at her like he was trying to figure something out. She turned back towards the open door, but just as she stepped through Ollivander gave her one last farewell.

"Have a good afternoon, Miss Potter."

**A/N: In case you're wondering why so few people recognise Hailey, it's because in the original series, Harry had the lightning bolt scar on his forehead and looked like his father, which made it easy to recognise him. Hailey, on the other hand, doesn't look too much like either of her parents and has the lightning bolt scar over her heart (where people can't see it). This, combined with the fact that she refers to herself as Hailey Mardas (as opposed to Potter) and has an American accent (instead of a British one like people would expect her to have) means that not a lot of people can guess who she is. **

**This chapter was Magical World centric. Next chapter is going to focus back on the SCP Universe once Hailey returns to Site 19. **

**And now, review answers:**

**PasiveNox: I assume you are referring to SCP-343? Whether SCP-343 is the actual God or not is ambiguous. I'm not actually sure whether I should include 343 at all. The Gate Guardian, on the other hand, may make an appearance. **

**WriternotAuthor: You know all those conspiracy theories about the government and aliens? The SCP Foundation is basically like that dialed to 11. There are a bunch of weird supernatural entities, locations, objects or events known as anomalies in the world and beyond, things that violate the natural law, and the SCP Foundation Secures, Contains and Protects them (which is what the SCP in the name stands for). Have you ever heard of X-Files? It's sort of like that. **

**So these anomalies can be basically anything. The Foundation finds ways to contain them to prevent the regular world from discovering the existence of the anomalous and to better understand SCPs (what the SCP Foundation calls anomalies). SCPs can be anything from inanimate objects (SCP-348: a self-refilling soup bowl that cures a runny nose) to loveable creatures (SCP-999: a slime-monster that loves tickles and candy) to world-ending horrors (SCP-2317: A planet-eating monster the Foundation has no method of containing that is expected to break free by 2030). **

**The Foundation is honestly pretty horrific in its own way. For example, they use prison inmates as Human test subjects. Even if they survive all the experiments and tests the Foundation kills them after a month. But what the Foundation does is necessary to safeguard the rest of Humanity from even worse evils. Some of the SCPs are dangrerous just by people knowing about them, so not only is secrecy needed to maintain normalcy it is needed to prevent these SCPs from destroying Earth. **

**In this fanfiction, the Foundation classifies the Wizarding World as an anomaly. SCP-5500, to be exact. The Foundation has deemed SCP-5500 too extensive to contain while also keeping the existence of the Foundation and the anomalous a secret (just imagine the logistical nightmare of capturing or eliminating literally every single person, creature, plant and building in the Harry Potter universe while also preventing the world from knowing this is happening) and because the Wizarding World contains itself via the Statute of Secrecy they just keep tabs on them with a spy network and make sure they maintain the Statute. A handful of wizards that the Foundation considers trustworthy assets know of the Foundation's existence and work with them to keep the Wizarding World a secret (you'll get introduced to a few of these later). If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me via PM. **

**Yukine-ren: Glad you like it. But remember that Hailey's powers don't work on all SCPs. Think of it this way: If you locked Hailey in a room with the SCP for a year, with neither of them having the ability to hurt each other, what would happen? For some SCPs, they would grow to like her. For others, they would kill her the moment they could. If the SCP has the capacity to become friends with Hailey, then the SCP **_**will **_**become friends with Hailey. **

**Basically, Hailey has the power to make the best first impression ever when meeting SCPs. What this means though is that when encountering SCPs that would never have the capacity to be friends with her then her powers are useless. You might have noticed I left out a certain peanut-shaped member of the "core" SCP cast from Hailey's friend list. This is because SCP-173 does not have the capacity to be friends with Hailey under any circumstances, and thus Hailey would be treated no differently to any other human (Hailey may have a traumatic memory or two of this SCP). **

**So the Scarlet King wouldn't be affected by Hailey's abilities because he doesn't have the capacity to care for anything. **

**LMaltez: Yeah but I don't think there is a category for SCP fanfiction. **

**Fast Frank: Don't worry, I'm just setting up the story. I'm trying to follow the same general feel as the original books. So the start of the narrative is going to be lighthearted and fun, then it's going to get progressively more serious. **


	6. Chapter 5: Grandfather

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners. **

**So I recently discovered that the line breaks I added into previous chapters didn't upload correctly. I've gone back and edited them all in. Sorry for the confusion. **

Dumbledore leaned backwards on his chair with his teacup, pleased by what Hagrid had told him. He had been very interested to hear about what had happened to Hailey in the years she had been missing. According to Hagrid's account, Hailey had been adopted by an American Muggleborn and was living in Montana. The Muggleborn, a man named Achilles Mardas, had apparently adopted Hailey without knowing her significance to the British magical world and taken her to a wizarding community in western Montana. He was relieved to hear that Hailey was safe, Dumbledore had feared she was either dead or the prisoner of one of Voldemort's followers. Or worse, raised as a Death Eater. He was looking forward to meeting the daughter of two of his close friends.

"Oh, an' she's got a cousin that's comin' ter Hogwarts this year too. A Muggleborn named Hermione Granger. They seem close," Hagrid reported.

"Well it will be good for Hailey to have a close friend before she even arrives at Hogwarts. I'm glad that Mr Mardas agreed to send Hailey here. Ilvermorny is a fine school, but it will be good for her to connect to her roots," Dumbledore concluded. He would also have to look at improving the defences on this community. With Hailey's last blood relatives dead it would be impossible to extend Lily's protection to cover a household like he had done for Privet Drive. Voldemort had difficulty gaining influence in the United States during the first war, but Hailey was still in danger.

Dumbledore suddenly realised that his friend was still waiting for him. Apologising for getting lost in his thoughts, he relieved Hagrid. The giant man awkwardly placed his teacup back on the table before leaving the room. When he had left, Dumbledore stood up from his desk and leaned on the balcony railing of his office, just thinking over the day's events. This would require a serious re-evaluation of his plans.

His musing was interrupted by the letter dropping onto the balcony floor. Dumbledore looked around for the owl, but couldn't find anything. He picked up the letter, which bore no address or name. Dumbledore checked the letter for any curses, before carefully opening it.

_Dumbledore, _

_We need to talk. The Forest, Midnight._

_-11_

* * *

Dumbledore silently cursed as his robe was torn on one of the branches of the forest, resolving to fix it when he returned to the castle. He had to admit, he was nervous. _They _never contacted him without a very serious reason. And if they were sending _him _it meant something very big was going to happen. The elderly wizard walked through the Forbidden Forest, a cool breeze blowing through the branches above him, illuminated by the pale moonlight. The forest was quiet. Unnaturally quiet. The lights of Hogwarts had long since been snuffed out for the night, leaving Dumbledore alone in the forest.

He spotted something in the distance. A person, standing perfectly still in a small clearing. The wind had picked up in speed, now whistling through the trees and blowing through Dumbledore's robes. To his left, Dumbledore saw a figure emerge from the forest. Without having to look, he knew another identical figure had emerged from the right. Both were clad in thick blue cloth and metallic armour, wielding strange Muggle firearms. Their faces were concealed by a helmet and orange tinted visor. Displayed proudly on their shoulders was a circle with three arrows pointing inwards.

Paying his two escorts no mind, Dumbledore walked up to the solitary figure in the clearing. Though he doubted the man was truly alone. Knowing _them_, there were at least ten different people with guns pointed directly at his heart somewhere in the forest.

The man was wearing the same black armour as the men escorting Dumbledore, though he did not the same helmet as the others. Instead, his face was concealed by the long shadows cast by the trees, though Dumbledore could just make out the man's pale face and sharp features through the gloom.

"Good evening, Galen" Dumbledore said, stopping 3 metres from the figure ahead.

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore," O5-11 replied.

"What brings you here?" Dumbledore asked, getting straight to the point. These people were never ones for idle conversation.

"It's about a student that will be attending Hogwarts this year. Hailey Potter."

"What business does the Foundation have with Miss Potter?"

"I assume Hagrid has already told you where Hailey has been these past few years?"

Dumbledore said nothing, which Galen took as permission to continue.

"It's a lie. Hailey has been with the Foundation ever since she left Britain," Galen explained.

"What!? What have you done with her!" Dumbledore snapped, his calm temporarily broke. The Foundation must have altered Hagrid's memories, he realised.

This was bad. Very bad. If there was one thing Dumbledore didn't want, it was the SCP Foundation believing there was a reason to intervene in the magical world. Especially not with Voldemort. They had been left alone because the Foundation deemed them self-containing, and Voldemort's existence challenged that notion. Dumbledore knew what the Foundation was capable of doing. If they deemed the Wizarding World a threat to normalcy, the destruction they could cause would overshadow every magical war in the last 3 centuries combined.

"I assure you, Hailey has been taken care of. Dr Mardas has treated her like she was his own daughter," Galen reassured. Dumbledore composed himself before replying.

"Why tell me any of this? Why are you even allowing her to come here?" Dumbledore questioned, trying to determine the O5 Council's motive.

"We both know Voldemort isn't dead. And we both know Hailey is destined by your prophecy to be the one to kill him. Currently, this is our greatest chance of eliminating a threat to the secrecy of both our worlds without having us intervene. The Foundation still considers you an ally, Albus Dumbledore. We trust you are capable of dealing with our mutual enemy. But it would be best if we were kept in the loop regarding any plans made against Voldemort. As for why I'm telling you this, it will be beneficial for Hailey to have somebody that can help her maintain our secret. Plus, there will need to be certain… exceptions made for her while she attends Hogwarts."

"What 'exceptions' are you talking about?"

"Hailey is considered an asset to the Foundation. We will need her to return to the Foundation weekly. Leave the logistics of that to us, just make sure Hailey can leave Hogwarts for one day each week."

Dumbledore paused to consider what Galen said. Was that all the O5 Council wanted? To let Hailey leave Hogwarts on weekends? Dumbledore knew that the SCP Foundation always had a good reason for doing something, so there must be a reason for them to contact him over something so trivial.

Maybe this is some kind of test? Dumbledore had been an ally of the Foundation ever since he had vanquished Grindelwald. They must want to determine how willing he was to work with them when it came to Hailey Potter.

"Very well, I accept your terms," Dumbledore conceded, nodding towards the man opposite him. Galen returned the nod, indicating that their conversation had finished. Dumbledore turned to leave, before Galen spoke again.

"Oh Professor, allow me to fix that for you," Galen offered behind Dumbledore. He turned around to see the O5 Council member pointing towards the tear in his robes with a pointed wooden stick. Galen waved his wand in the direction of the tear, causing the fabric to stitch together, looking like it had never been torn.

"It was nice to see you again, Galen," Dumbledore said, smiling at the man. He walked out of clearing, turning back around one last time to see that the Galen and Alpha-01 had disappeared from the forest.

Dumbledore chuckled to himself as he walked out of the castle. Galen always had a flair for dramatics.

* * *

Hailey surveyed the floating lead room before her, both visually and within the confines of her mind. She ignored the bright lights, the chaotic twisting metal and the rushing water, and just focused on 'feeling' the spaces and densities, trying to find the spot she was looking for. To truly describe this feeling would be impossible, the best Hailey could do was describe it like 'seeing' a distorted and shifting image of mass and 'feeling' the subtle tugs on gravity within her mind. She scanned the room before her, narrowing in on a large region of low density near the centre of the chamber.

"_SCP-5536, please enter the containment chamber," _a voice announced over the intercom, barely registering in Hailey's mind.

Focusing on this small region of space, Hailey let all her earthly senses fade into the background, feeling only herself and that small region of space. She then 'pushed' herself, stepping out of reality in a flash of blue and reappearing within that small region of space. Shaking her head, Hailey let her focus on space and gravity fade from her mind, gradually regaining control over her senses and body as her headache faded away.

She now saw the room not as a subtle tug on spacetime but as a dim metallic cube, it's only other occupant a decayed elderly man covered in a black foul-smelling ooze, though Hailey was long since used to the smell. The man appeared dead, like he had laid here months ago and never moved since. But Hailey knew better. As if on cue, the corpse-like figure began to stir, opening its sunken eye sockets and staring at her with its glowing blue eyes.

"Hello Grandfather," Hailey greeted the creature with a smile. The creature's own leathery face broke into a creepy grin. To anyone else, this grin would have been described as sinister, a promise of unending madness and torment, but to Hailey it told her Lawrence was happy to see her.

"Haillley. It hass beeen a long time sssince I lasst saw you," Lawrence chided in his hollow and echoing voice, propping himself up against the wall. Hailey looked guiltily at Larry, rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly.

"Sorry, my life has been pretty busy over the past few weeks. I've discovered I have a cousin, been invited into a boarding school for reality warping and travelled all the way to the United Kingdom. But I am sorry I didn't visit you more often," Hailey relented, offering her apology.

"Well you ssshould be. Typical youttth, nno time for theirrr elders. But I fforgive you," Lawrence teased. Hailey chuckled at his antics, leaning across the small cell to give the man a hug, which he returned.

She still remembered vividly the first time she had met SCP-106. Hailey must have been 9 (or was it 8?) years old, lying terrified on her bed as the containment breach alarm blared through the facility.

* * *

"_Hailey you have to stay in this room. No matter what you hear, you will not leave this room," Achilles urged in a panicked voice, trying to make himself heard over the blare of the alarms. _

"_What's happening dad? Why is it so loud?" Hailey stuttered, fear in her voice. She didn't like the loud alarm. _

"_There's been a breach. A dangerous SCP has escaped containment," Achilles explained to the panicked girl. "Hailey, I need you to pinky promise me you will stay safe. OK?"_

"_OK, but pinky promise you'll come get me after!" Hailey stuttered. She noticed Achilles seemed somewhat hesitant to make his promise, but he still allowed Hailey to wrap her delicate little pinky around his larger one. He stepped out of the room, giving her one last reassuring look before sealing the doors of her containment unit. _

_Hailey curled up on her soft bed, trembling in fear. She tried to drown out the sound of the alarm by placing a pillow over her head. The pillow prevented her from seeing the black stain that had appeared on the wall at her feet. _

_A pale claw-like hand reached through the corroding metal, covered in a sickly black slime. Hailey remained oblivious as the rotting figure pulled itself out of the wall and into the room, looking at the trembling little girl with an expression of curiosity and anger. _

_It was the smell that alerted her to his presence. The foul odor penetrated her nose, causing tears to well in her eyes. Hailey lifted her head out of the pillow, turning to face the figure that had invaded her containment unit. _

_She let out a cry of fright, teleporting in a flash of blue into a random unused containment unit. She collapsed onto the cold metal floor, legs no longer capable of holding her. Placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart, Hailey tried in vain to calm herself. The alarm still blared, only increasing her panic. _

_Behind her, another wall began to turn black with corrosion. The rotting man again dragged himself out of the wall while Hailey remained oblivious. _

"_Heelllooo tthhheerree," the man hissed, bringing Hailey out of her panic attack. _

_She spun around to look at the entity, who was looking at her with it's pale blue eyes. She tried desperately to attempt another teleportation, stumbling backwards until her back hit the opposite wall. The figure stepped out of the black void fully, leaning down to look at her. _

"_Whoo are yyou?" the figure demanded in a cold and hollow voice that seemed to echo in Hailey's mind. _

"_H-Hailey," she stuttered. The figure continued to slowly walk towards her, causing the metal of the floor to rust with each step he took. Why couldn't she teleport?_

"_Mmy nname is Lawwrrence," the creature, Lawrence, replied. Hailey caught a brief look of confusion pass along the man's face, like he was confused by what he'd said. _

"_Why a-are you ch-chasing me?" Hailey asked, leaning further against the wall. _

"_Yyou arre the one the otthhers speak of, yess? Five Five Three Ssix?" _

"_Y-yes? I am SCP-5536. Who are these 'others'?"_

"_The ones tthat rroam outsside these wallss. I hear theirr whisspers. They sspeak of you offten. They ssay you ccould be ussed againsst me. I wwanted to deny themm the opporttunnity. But alll I ffind is a litttle girl?" _

"_I don't know what you're talking about Lawrence!" Hailey shouted, trying to convince the creature to not hurt her. She tried to feel the space outside the room to teleport, but something about this entity made it hard for her to focus. _

"_Thaat namme. Whhhy do you ccall me thaat?" he questioned. Did he not remember introducing himself? _

"_You told me that was your name?" Hailey replied as she edged across the wall. _

"_No. I do nnot knoww that namme," Lawrence whispered, more to himself than to Hailey. He had paused in his slow walk towards her, lost in his own thoughts as he tried to search for something. _

_Images flashed through SCP-106's mind. A hug from a beautiful woman. A firm handshake and a smile from an elderly man. An explosion of mud and fire shaking the Earth itself. But above all, a name. An identity._

_**Lawrence**_

_Somehow, he knew these were memories. Things he had long-since forgotten. Had this girl somehow caused him to remember his long-forgotten past? _

_He suddenly realised why the scientists thought this girl could stop him. He could remember feelings he could no longer feel and memories he had long since forgotten. This girl forced him to feel human again._

_And yet, Lawrence could not bring himself to kill her. He __**liked **__the feelings these memories gave him. Joy, love, contentment. He even enjoyed the feelings of fear, regret and sadness, which Lawrence didn't even know he could feel. _

_Hailey had paused her pitiful attempts to escape, looking curiously at the stunned SCP. He seemed lost in his thoughts, completely ignoring Hailey even as she felt her teleportation powers return. She contemplated teleporting away again, but this creature had tracked her before. If it could track her, what was the point in teleporting? She'd wait and see if the SCP was hostile before taking the risk of angering it with her teleportation. _

_As it turned out, Hailey had no reason to worry. SCP-106 sunk back into the floor, leaving Hailey alone in the abandoned containment unit. She walked around the room a few times, just to make sure the creature wasn't following her, before teleporting out of the cell and running towards the guard room to tell them what happened. _

* * *

Lawrence had been lured back into containment. How, Hailey did not know. The scientists had spent a whole day asking her what SCP-106 had done while he was around her. She was still terrified, but had answered all their questions. It had been late at night before Hailey had been allowed to sleep in one of the temporary containment units. But when she woke up, she'd found herself in a distorted and darkened parody of her original room.

That have been the first time she'd entered Larry's pocket dimension. After the fear had faded, Hailey spent hours talking to the man. He'd talked about his youth with enthusiasm, everything from his time as a soldier to the farm he grew up on. Hailey listened with interest, talking about her own upbringing and her life at the Foundation. He later confessed that he originally intended to keep her locked in his pocket dimension forever, drawing whatever happiness he could from the child by force, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Something about how quickly the girl had accepted him despite his terrifying appearance and the sheer joy and excitement in her deep green eyes as she listened to him made him incapable of hurting her.

And so after her eyes had begun to close from exhaustion, Lawrence had picked her up and carried her sleeping form back into the real world, holding her close against his chest protectively, careful to not wake her as she drifted off to sleep.

Hailey had later been told her temporary room had been full of Foundation scientists and guards monitoring the portal she'd been taken into, including Achilles, when she returned. They'd all stared slack-jawed as SCP-106 cradled her sleeping form out of the portal and gently placed her on the bed,even tucking her under the sheets, before sinking back into the floor.

Hailey smiled at the memory, hugging the old man tighter. She broke her hug, leaning back against the cold metal wall.

"Ssooo, thiss schoool. What's itt like?" Lawrence asked, eager to hear about her life and the outside world.

"I haven't actually been to it yet. But it's one of the 5500 sites, all the way in Scotland," Hailey replied.

"Ahhh. I haaven't beeen to Scotland in a loonng time. Lovellly place, but sso far awway. Howw will you visit yourr lonely Grandpa?"

"The O5 Council has apparently negotiated for me to return to Site 19 weekly. How, I have no idea," Hailey shrugged. "I certainly can't teleport across the Atlantic Ocean."

"I ccould take yyou back."

"Grandpa, we both know the Foundation will never approve of that. You don't exactly have a good track record for containment breaches."

"Bahhh! I hhaven'tt brokenn conttainmment all mmonth!" Lawrence whined, crossing his arms in mock irritation.

"It's the 4th of August."

"Sso? Still havven't brokenn containmennt all monthh!"

Hailey crossed her arms and pouted, mirroring the older SCP.

"Moving on from the dubiousness of your logic, I also met my cousin for the first time a few weeks ago. Her name's Hermione. They allowed her family to visit the site. She's a nice girl, and really smart too! Hermione told me stuff about the wizarding world she read that I don't think even dad knows! And dad knows everything!" Hailey gushed, eager to give her friend praise.

"I'd llike to meeet thiss coussin of yourss."

"That's probably not a good idea. At least for now," Hailey explained. "I'm sorry Grandpa, but you're scary. You scared the hell out of me-"

"Llanguage!" Lawrence interrupted, pointing accusedly at Hailey.

"-when I first met you and I don't think introducing her to a Keter-Class anomaly that can cause things to rot by touching them is the best thing to do. The scariest SCP Hermione has encountered so far has been 999!" Hailey exclaimed, ignoring Lawrence's interruption.

"I ddid sayy I was ssorry," Lawrence muttered.

"And I forgave you years ago!" Hailey assured, leaning over to wrap her tiny arms around Lawrence's bony torso.

"Ddid you gett the chance to use the skills I ttaught you?"

Hailey rolled her eyes. Once she had told him she was going to be leaving Site 19, he had insisted on teaching her "proper manners for a young lady". Though she had to admit, it did come in handy with that woman in the robe store.

"You know, one day I'd like to hear how you know so much about female etiquette."

The sounds of his laughter echoed through the small room.

"Yyou are way too yyoung to hear tthat sttory!" Lawrence smirked, patting her head with a superior look on his face. Hailey huffed and crossed her arms in irritation. She was a big girl now, she could handle it!

"Prrromise me you'll sstay safe," Lawrence demanded, suddenly deadly serious and looking down at Hailey with a stern look in his steely blue eyes.

"I'll try!" Hailey agreed.

He knew that danger always seemed to find the little girl, but he still wished she'd be more cautious. The Foundation would probably look down upon him travelling all the way to Scotland to liquify anybody who hurt her.

Lawrence chuckled in his head. It sometimes scared him how quickly this tiny human had wormed her way into his rotting heart. He must be going soft in his old age.

"Annd do visssit more offten! Otherrwise I'll persssonally break into tthat school of yyours and drag you into mmy pockett dimension!" Lawrence promised. Hailey gave no response, just tightened her hold on him.

He entertained her for the remaining hour with tales from his youth. Hailey listened with awe as Lawrence told her stories from days as a soldier of the First World War. He was midway through describing the Battle of the Somme when an automatic alarm blared, signifying the end of his time with Hailey.

They exchanged farewells and a final hug before Hailey disappeared in a flash of blue. Lawrence smiled slightly before lying back down on the metallic ground, resuming his hibernation.

* * *

"I will never understand why wizards feel the need to locate their important sites in some of the busiest places in Britain," Hermione scoffed, pushing her trolley through the crowds of people at Kings Cross Station.

"Maybe this place wasn't as busy when it was first designed?" Hailey suggested, turning questioningly towards Achilles, pushing her own trolley forward. Hedwig hooted in her cage as Hailey swerved to avoid a crowd of people.

"I'm not too sure. The magical world doesn't really have much infrastructure of its own, so they might have needed to use non-magical railways for transport," Achilles shrugged in a hushed voice as he trailed behind the girls, gazing at the trains passing by.

"36 years old and you're still obsessed with the railway?" Helen smirked at Achilles, noticing his interest.

"Hey! Trains are cool."

"What are you talking about Aunty Helen?" Hailey questioned.

"When we were kids, our parents often had to work late so I was stuck with babysitting your father," Helen explained. "We lived near a railway. Achilles would always laugh and clap his little toddler hands every time a train passed by. It was the cutest thing you'll ever see!"

Hailey giggled, seeing Achilles' bright red face. The thought of him as a toddler amused her.

"Well, here we are. Platform 9 and Platform 10. How were we supposed to enter again?" Daniel asked.

"Something about running into the barrier? Though I'm not sure which side of the barrier we're supposed to run into," Achilles trailed off, scanning the barrier for any signs of how to enter. "Though of course Hailey and Hermione have to enter first since none of us are magical."

Hailey and Hermione looked at each other and shrugged. It wasn't like they could just ask the railway guards. Just as Hailey was about to suggest running into a random side of the barrier and seeing what would happen, a group of redheads passed them.

"-packed with Muggles of course-" a plump woman said, talking to five children each with flaming red hair. The four boys were pushing trolleys like Hailey's while the fifth, a young girl, trailed behind them. The woman seemed to be saying goodbye to the oldest boy.

Daniel had also noticed the family. He nudged Helen and Achilles and gestured towards the family of redheads.

"Pardon me madame, but you wouldn't happen to know how to access the platform?" Daniel asked the woman, pointing towards the barrier.

"Oh it's quite alright. You just have to walk straight at that side of the barrier. Don't stop or be scared or you'll crash into it," the woman replied, turning back to give the oldest boy a hug and a kiss goodbye. "Percy here will demonstrate."

The boy walked confidently towards the barrier, disappearing right through it as if the bricks didn't exist.

"Thank you madame. I'm Daniel Granger, but please call me Daniel," Daniel said, shaking the woman's hand. "And over there is my wife Helen, my daughter Hermione, my brother-in-law Achilles Mardas and his daughter Hailey."

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Molly Weasley, you can call me Molly. These are my sons Fred, George-"

"Honestly, woman, _I'm _George, _he's _Fred. It's not that hard to remember!" one of the twins interrupted.

"Oh sorry George. Anyway, this is Ron and my daughter Ginevra. The one that went through already is my third eldest Percy. Is it Hailey and Hermione's first time at Hogwarts? Ron's starting out this year too," Mrs Weasley said, placing her hand on a thin, gangly freckled boy.

The boy, Ron, gave the two cousins a wave which they returned enthusiastically

"Yes Mrs Weasley. This will be our first year," Hermione confirmed.

"Well then I'm sure my boys will be nice to you two," Molly promised, looking pointedly at the two twins. "Anyway, we best be getting into the station. George, you go first."

"I was kidding earlier, I am Fred!" he replied, running through the platform before his mum could reply, followed closely by George. Mrs Weasley sighed, and gestured to Hermione and Hailey.

"You two go through before Ron. I'll help your parents enter."

Hermione went first, running towards the wall. Hailey held her breath as Hermione drew nearer, exhaling with relief when she'd passed through the brick wall. Hailey followed, closing her eyes as she ran through the barrier. She felt a sharp tug on the space around her.

There was an entire station down here! A scarlet steam engine stood proudly in the centre of the vast building. Hermione beckoned her forward, where she was waiting with Fred and George who were helping her load her bags in an empty compartment. Behind Hailey, Ron appeared through the wrought-iron archway she had come from, followed closely by the parents. Achilles seemed to furiously analyse every detail of the room while the Grangers talked amiably with Mrs Weasley.

Hailey followed Hermione, shouldering her bags into the compartment.

"Would you like a hand with that?" one of the twins offered.

"Yes please!" Hailey thanked. The two boys helped stow her bags on the corner of the compartment. She thanked them profusely, wiping sweat from her forehead. Her hair must look horrible right now. She'd have to brush it before they reached the school.

"Mum, did you hear Hailey Potter might be coming to Hogwarts this year!" the youngest Weasley gushed to her mother as she said her last-minute goodbyes.

"You might have mentioned it a few times, Ginny," Rom remarked with a grin. He turned to look at Hailey, ignoring his sister's pout. "Hailey Potter is pretty famous in our world. Ginny is crazy about her. You'll probably meet her later."

"Yeah, I bet," Hailey stammered guiltily.

Achilles turned sharply to look at her, but made no comment. She didn't like being deceptive, especially to people who had treated her with such kindness. But Hailey didn't want Achilles to feel like she was rejecting him as a father nor did she want a repeat of what happened in the Leaky Cauldron.

While Mrs Weasley fussed over her sons, Achilles and the Grangers said their goodbyes to Hailey and Hermione.

"Now, I want you two to stay safe. Take care of each other, OK?" Helen insisted. They both agreed, hugging her. Hermione remained in the hug longer while Achilles pulled Hailey aside into an empty alcove to talk with her.

"Is something wrong, Hailey? You can tell me, I won't be mad," Achilles asked, placing his hand on her shoulder to provide comfort.

"It's just… you're my dad. You were the one who raised me. I don't want you to feel like I'm choosing them over you," Hailey stammered, her lip quivering.

"Oh muffin, you'll always be a Mardas to me. Don't ever feel like you need to deny your parentage to appease me. I'll love you no matter what," Achilles promised, crouching down to pull her into a hug. "This school will expect Hailey Potter. If that's who you want to be, I won't mind. Hailey Mardas, Hailey Potter, SCP-5536. It doesn't matter. You'll still be my daughter."

"Thanks dad, your the best!" Hailey cried, wrapping her arms around the larger man.

Achilles beckoned Hermione over after they broke the hug. Her cousin walked through the thinning crowd to where Achilles was standing.

"I don't think I need to stress that both of you are not to reveal anything about the Foundation without O5 approval. Understand?" Achilles said, looking down at them both with a stern look.

"I understand," Hailey and Hermione said at the same time.

"Now Hailey, the Headmaster is aware of the Foundation's existence. He has agreed to facilitate you leaving Hogwarts weekly. We've got a plan to get you back to Site 19 that should be ready in a few weeks, he'll give you instructions on the day."

Achilles directed them back towards the train. Most of the students had already entered the train, including the Weasley boys. Mrs Weasley was talking amibley with the Grangers while Ginny waited, looking bored. They broke their conversation when the two girls arrived.

"Now, you two best be getting on the train now," Achilles insisted.

"I love you, dad," Hailey grinned, wrapping her arms around Achilles' legs.

"I love you too, Hailey."

Hailey broke her hug and climbed up into the compartment with Hermione. They each leaned out the window to wave as the train began to pull away from the station.

Achilles watched with a sad look as the train shrunk in the distance. His little girl was growing up. He was scared for her, but he knew Hailey would love it at this new school. Daniel and Helen were holding each other and staring wistfully at the place the train with Molly Weasley.

"Well," Helen began, turning to Mrs Weasley "would you and Ginny like to have lunch with us?"

**AN: So here's the Weasleys and SCP-106's introduction. Next chapter Hailey is going to be arriving at Hogwarts and getting sorted. Fair warning, I've got some stuff to work on this week, so I might not be able to get a chapter done by next weekend. Though I should be good for the weekend after. **

**Review answers:**

**WriternotAuthor: No worries, glad to help. If you have anymore questions, I'll be happy to answer them. Leave a review or PM me.**

**Yukine-ren: Well here's SCP-106's introduction. I'll be including a lot more SCPs as the story progresses, but I want to introduce them in a way that makes sense and is meaningful to the plot (rather than just dump them all in the first few chapters). But they will be introduced. Some will even show up at Hogwarts. **

**As for Hailey's ability, I will be expanding it later into the story (origins, exact limitations and effects). It's a major plot point that would spoil the overarching narrative if I told you now. **

**SMantis: Trial and error. After they learned she could keep SCP-096 calm, the Foundation decided to expose her to other SCPs (though they did make sure Hailey couldn't be hurt, a few of these trials left some mental scars). One of these trials was restraining Hailey behind a glass wall with SCP-053 on the other side. **

**Hailey herself is not immune to the effects of SCP-053, rather SCP-053's ability does not recognise her as a target. If SCP-053 made eye contact with herself, she would not fly into a homicidal rampage. Likewise, Hailey's own ability of forming instantaneous "emotional bonds" means that SCP-053's ability recognises her as connected to SCP-053 and thus Hailey shares SCP-053's immunity to her own powers. This idea of a love bond comes from Harry Potter lore. **

**Guest: Good feedback, I'll try not to shift POV too much. Also, for reasons that will be explained later, anything "human" (normal people, wizards, human SCPs) aren't as heavily affected by Hailey's "charisma boost" unless they are really "receptive" (it would be easy for her to be friends with them normally). But for people like that (Achilles, Hermione, Ron, Hagrid) they would have been her friend really easily anyway so the existence of her power is pretty redundant when interacting with them. I'll include a proper in-universe explanation for the limits of this soon. **

**Hailey's ability did play a part in her meeting with the Malfoys, but more importantly was the fact that she unknowingly acted like a Pureblood by displaying proper mannerisms and demonstrating that she had been involved in the magical world long before receiving her Hogwarts letter. In canon, Harry is meek and doesn't know anything about the magical world. Draco thinks "definitely a Mudblood". In this story, Hailey is confident and unintentionally states she has been heavily involved in the magical world well before arriving at Hogwarts. She says "Some of my dad's… **_**friends**_**... introduced me to the National Quidditch League when I was young" which for Draco means that 1: her dad is a wizard, 2: her dad has friends (actually American wizards working with the Foundation) involved in Quidditch (thus, her dad might be **_**influential**_**) and 3: Hailey knows and has been involved in the American magical world "since she was young" (which means she was raised as a witch). Combined, Draco (and Narcissa) now think Hailey comes from an influential American wizarding family and thus would be a potential ally for the Malfoys. I'm sorry if I didn't make this interaction clear. **

**And yeah, Hailey will definitely collect a few important artefacts and creatures for the Foundation. **

**Guest: Oh. I didn't know about that. Do you think I should move the story? **

**cave43: Both. Hailey has anomalous abilities that the Foundation doesn't believe is consistent with an instance of SCP-5500 (she can do things wizards can't). So she can't be considered a baseline SCP-5500 instance. Also, due to the sheer impossibility of giving every single site, person, creature, spell, book ect in the Harry Potter universe it's own designation, SCP-5500 is a catch-all term for anything related to the magical world not contained by the Foundation, with contained items, objects or people being given their own designation. **


	7. Chapter 6: The Sorting

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners.**

Hermione and Hailey were both reclining in the chairs of the compartment. Hermione had convinced Hailey to change into the school uniform immediately, and was brushing out the knots in her straight black hair when the door slid open to reveal the youngest Weasley boy.

"Is anyone sitting here?" Ron asked. "Fred and George are testing dung bombs in their compartment and everywhere else is full."

"Not at all. You're welcome to share the compartment if you want," Hailey smiled, gesturing to the seats. Hermione seemed slightly irritated by the intrusion, but made no comment.

"Cheers," Ron said, turning towards Hermione. "I don't think we've spoken. I'm Ron Weasley."

"Hermione Granger," she responded curtly.

They sat in awkward silence for a minute, Hermione stowing away her hairbrush before Ron spoke again.

"So… have either of you girls ever played Exploding Snap?" Ron said, trying to break the ice.

"No, what's that?" Hermione asked, suddenly interested. She had never heard of a game called Exploding Snap.

"It's a Wizarding card game. Fred and George taught me how to play it," Ron explained, pulling out a deck from his robes.

"Your family are wizards?" Hailey guessed.

"Yes, I think so. Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant though. You two are Muggleborns, right?"

"My dad- her uncle- is a Muggleborn but I'm a Halfblood. He adopted me," Hailey parroted the fake backstory the Foundation had given her. "My dad raised me in a magical community in America. But Hermione's parents aren't magical. How about your family, what's it like having so many siblings? We're both only children."

"Well I've got 6 siblings. 5 older brothers and Ginny," Ron began, looking somewhat gloomy. "You've already met the twins, Fred and George. They mess around a lot, but they get good marks and everybody thinks they're funny. Bill and Charlie have already left. Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. Percy's a prefect. Everybody expects me to do as well as my older brothers, but if I do, it's no big deal because they did it first. You never get anything new either. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand and Percy's old rat."

He reached inside his jacket to pull out a fat sleeping rat.

"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he never stops sleeping. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made Prefect, but we couldn't aff- I mean, I got Scabbers instead"

Ron went pink, seemingly embarrassed by what he'd said. Hailey gave him a sympathetic look, but he bristled and turned to look out the window.

"You must know a lot of magic already. Let's see some," Hermione said, trying to cheer the boy up. At least, that's what she thought she was doing.

Ron looked a bit taken aback, but he pulled out his wand.

"Well, George gave me this spell. 'Supposed to turn Scabbers yellow," Ron said, clearing his throat. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"

He waved his wand over the sleeping rat, but nothing happened.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? It didn't work!" Hermione scoffed.

Ron's face turned pink again and he hastily stuffed his wand back in his jacket. Hailey nudged Hermione with her elbow, gesturing towards the boy.

"You know... I think I saw the ends of Scabber's whiskers turn yellow," Hermione said with a forced smile, trying to cheer the boy up. Hailey gave Hermione a thumbs up when Ron wasn't looking.

She knew Hermione struggled with being aware of other people's feelings. Hermione never intended to hurt people, but she would often assume others felt the way she did. It pleased Hailey to see her learning to cheer people up.

Hailey talked amicably with Ron for another half hour about Quidditch while Hermione read a thick book, occasionally piping in to voice her opinion when the topic of conversation shifted from sport. They were interrupted by the arrival of the sweets trolley. Hailey bought her cousin and new friend some treats using the money from her vault, purchasing a few chocolate frogs for herself.

She unwrapped her chocolate frog, immediately catching the frog before it could leap out the window.

"They're alive!?" Hermione exclaimed, pausing her attack on a Liquorice Wand.

"Not really, they're just charmed to move. You have to catch them quickly otherwise they'll escape," Ron said, picking carefully through a box of Every Flavour Beans.

Hailey absentmindedly chewed on the chocolate while she examined the picture. He had long silver hair and half-moon glasses. So this was Albus Dumbledore? She read the back of the card, eager to learn more about the man the Foundation held in such high regard.

"He's gone," Hailey stated bluntly when she turned the card back over.

"Well you can't expect him to stay around all day," Ron said. "He'll be back."

"Wizarding pictures are alive too?" Hermione asked.

Hailey listened in with interest. Maybe she should bring some paintings back to Site 19 for Cassy? She was always so lonely.

A knock on the door brought Hailey out of her thoughts. The door opened to reveal a round-faced boy. His brown hair hung limply on his head and his eyes were red and tearful.

"Sorry, but have any of you seen a toad?" the boy mumbled.

"Can't say I have. But if you'd like I could help you look?" Hailey offered, turning to her friends. "Would either of you like to come with?"

"Sure, I'll help him look for his toad," Hermione said. Ron shrugged and nodded, agreeing to help.

"R-really? Thanks! I'm Neville Longbottom."

"Hailey Mardas," she replied, shaking the boy's hand. "This is my cousin Hermione Granger and new friend Ron Weasley."

Her two compartment companions both shook the boy's hand.

"Well then, let's go find your toad," Ron grumbled. Hermione cast a locking charm on the compartment door as they exited.

"So Neville… what house do you think you'll be in?" Hailey probed, trying to get the boy to talk.

"Um… well my family have always Gryffindors,"Neville hesitated, looking like he was surprised she was talking to him. "but I'll probably end up in Hufflepuff."

"Hufflepuff isn't so bad. It could be worse, you could be in Slytherin," Ron remarked.

Hermione slid open the door to the next compartment, which occupied by two boys in the middle of a conversation.

"Have either of you seen a toad? Neville's lost his."

"Sorry, we haven't seen one," the boy on the left replied. He spoke with a distinctive Irish accent.

"Damn. Well, tell us if you see it."

"No worries. I'm Seamus and this is my friend Dean."

"My name's Hermione. This is Hailey, Neville and Ron."

"Hailey _Potter_?!" Dean gasped, looking sharply at the black-haired girl who's face had gained a red tinge.

"I'd prefer it if you referred to me as Hailey Mardas," she replied, red with embarrassment. Ron and Neville both turned sharply to stare at her.

"Blimey, I didn't think we'd actually get to need you. Did you really fight a troll at the age of 4?" Seamus exclaimed, looking at her with awe in his eyes.

"No," she sighed. "Look, thanks for helping us with Neville's toad. It was nice meeting you both."

Hailey gently slid the door to their compartment closed, turning around to see Neville and Ron's shocked expressions.

"Is it true? Are you really… you know?" Ron trailed off, looking at her expectantly.

"Yes, I'm Hailey Potter. But the man who raised me gave me the name Mardas, and I'd like to keep it."

"OK."

"Excuse me?"

"OK. You're my friend. I can understand how you feel. If I learnt I was adopted I'd still want to be called Weasley. Even if I hate them sometimes." Ron said, Neville nodding next to him. "Blimey Hailey, did you think I was going to call you Potter out of spite?"

"Aw, thanks," Hailey smiled, leaning over to give Ron a friendly hug. She turned to give Neville a pat on the back. Neville didn't seem to know how to respond, but he did smile weakly at her.

"But I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when my sister comes to Hogwarts next year."

"Oh God, you're right," Hailey lamented, dramatically collapsing against Ron. He chuckled as he caught her.

"Well, we should probably keep looking for the toad," Hermione interjected, gesturing behind her to the rest of the train.

"Y-you guys don't need to do all this" Neville stuttered, face reddening.

"Nonsense. With more people searching, the toad will be found sooner," Hermione explained. "So it would be better for us to continue helping you."

Hailey grinned at her cousin. Trust Hermione to be completely misread what Neville was saying and reduce the issue to a logical puzzle. Hermione had trouble believing that somebody could refuse aid in a situation where she could be of help. But she would offer her help so readily to anybody who would benefit from it. It could be both annoying and incredibly endearing. Right now, Hailey considered it very endearing. And from Neville's grateful look, he did too.

They searched every cabin until they reached the front of the train before turning around to check the back of the train. As Hailey trailed behind Hermione who was opening the compartment doors, she noticed the eyes of the occupants seemed to follow her. Had the news of her identity already spread?

Whatever, she wasn't going to let that phase her. It was hardly the most important secret she kept. Though she would have much rather lived without the baggage that came with her name. Hailey's childhood thus far was dominated by the secrets and subterfuge that came with life in the SCP Foundation. And now she was about to be dragged into the Wizarding World's spotlight. How was she supposed to handle that?

She turned her attention back to the three people walking in front of her. Hermione was opening the door to another compartment, Neville was trailing meekly behind her and Ron was looking out the window at the passing forest. At least she had three friends in this new world.

"Has anybody seen a toad? Brown, about this big? Neville's lost his," Hermione said.

"If we did, do you think we'd tell _you_?" a voice sneared from the compartment.

Hailey leaned over to look through the compartment window and see who had spoken to her cousin so rudely. There were 6 people in the one who had spoken was a tall brown-haired boy standing in the middle of the room. Behind him on the seats, a tanned boy and a brown-haired girl were sniggering.

She leaned slightly further to see the remaining three people in the compartment. There were two other round-faced boys practically inhaling candies. Between them was a familiar head of blonde hair.

"Hey, sod off!" Ron shouted at the boy. Hermione gave him an appreciative look.

"Red hair and secondhand robes? You must be a Weasley. I'm surprised your parents could afford to send another Hogwarts this year," Malfoy scoffed as he stood up, his eyes looking over Ron.

Then his eyes darted over to meet hers. They shared a brief moment of connection in the moment their eyes met. She could see feelings of anger and betrayal reflected in his grey eyes. What did he have to feel betrayed over? She hadn't done anything to him.

There was something else that flickered behind them. Disappointment? She stared back at him defiantly until the interruption of the other boy broke their eye contact.

"A Weasley defending Mudbloods? Typical blood traitors," the brown haired boy drawled. He then turned to her.

"And you must be Hailey Potter. They've been saying that Hailey Potter was on the train, helping some Muggle-lover find a toad. But I didn't actually think somebody of your bloodline would associate with such filth. My name's Nott, Theodore Nott."

"Charmed," Hailey drawled, much to his irritation. She deliberately exaggerated her American accent which seemed to anger Nott further.

"Though I hear she goes by Mardas, isn't that right?" Malfoy added, practically spitting out the name.

"That's the name of the wizard who raised me."

"A Mudblood wizard, right?" Nott sneered. "I should have guessed, nobody of any quality would allow their daughter to associate with a Weasley and a Longbottom."

Hailey seethed inside, gripping her wand tightly. How dare he insult her father! She could feel her grip on space and gravity through the red mist that had descended over her mind, tempting her to make the boy pay for his slight.

A soft hand rested itself on her back, causing the red mist to fade. Hermione was looking at her with concern in her eyes, stroking her hand down the small of her back. Hailey took a few deep breaths, calming herself.

"Better a blood traitor than a Death Eater!" Ron snapped, gripping his own wand in his hand.

"Looks like you've got Weasley wrapped around your little finger like a good little attack dog, Mardas," Malfoy goaded, causing Ron to turn red with anger and embarrassment. "I'll be here when you find yourself looking for a _better_ circle of friends."

He offered her his hand to shake, giving her an arrogant smirk. But Hailey could almost detect a flicker of genuine interest from him. She dismissed that thought quickly, looking back into Malfoy's eyes and giving him an exaggerated fake smile.

"_Thank you_ for the offer," she drawled, imitating him. "But if a _better _circle of friends means you and lanky over there, I think I'll pass."

Malfoy's eyes hardened and he withdrew his hand sharply. Beside him Not tensed with rage.

"You'll pay for that Potter!" Nott snarled, leveling his wand straight at her heart with a stiff grip.

Hailey, Ron, Hermione and even Neville raised their own wands in response. The tanned boy and the girl also drew their own wand. Malfoy drew his, holding it lightly in his fingers with the ease of somebody experienced in dueling, slowly shifting it left to right across the group as if debating whether he wanted to involve himself or not.

"Look at the one on the right, he can't even hold his wand properly!" the girl scoffed, causing Neville to turn red. His hand was shaking wildly with fear. But he steadied his wand, pointing it directly at her.

"What's all this!?" a voice shouted from their left. They turned to see the lady who sold them the candies staring at them with an accusing look on her face.

"Just practicing some magic," Nott said, stowing his wand hurriedly.

"Well I'd ask that you don't "practice magic" anymore, or I'll have to talk with Professor Dumbledore," the woman ordered as she squeezed past them.

"Oh, do tell us if you see the toad," Hermione insisted with fake sincerity, closing the door to their compartment.

The four friends waited until they were out of hearing distance before talking again.

"Blimey, what a bunch of gits," Ron joked, causing Hailey and Hermione to chuckle.

"It was like Malfoy and Nott were competing over who could be worse human beings," Hermione agreed. Even Neville laughed at that.

"And Neville, thanks for having our backs in that standoff," Hailey praised, nodding at the boy with a smile.

"B-But I didn't do anything."

"You stood up for yourself when that pug-faced girl insulted you. That was very brave of you," Hermione consoled. "We'll be arriving at the school soon, we'd better get ready. Let's hope your toad shows up there."

Neville looked down at his feet glumly, before walking further down the train away from the trio.

"You're welcome to join us," Hermione offered. He turned around to see Ron tilting his head in the direction of their compartment, beckoning Neville to follow them.

"Really?" Neville asked, almost like he expected them to laugh at him.

"Sure mate. Let's go grab your things and head back," Ron said.

Neville hurried back to his small compartment, dragging his suitcase behind him with the help of his three new friends.

* * *

Hailey, Hermione, Ron and Neville all squeezed into the small rowboat carefully, trying to avoid capsizing it. Hagrid was directing students into multiple small boats, making sure that everyone was in safely. She waved to the giant as she passed, but he was too busy to stop and chat. As soon as all the students were in, the boats began to glide across the smoothe lake. They were forced to duck as they passed under a stone archway.

As they passed under the archway, Hailey felt her anomalous senses weaken. They must have passed through the anti-Apparition wards. Even under ordinary circumstances, it was hard for Hailey to look through the shifting and chaotic gravitational fields she could detect. She would often describe it to the Foundation as trying to pick out a single snowflake in a snowstorm. Within an anti-Apparition ward, it felt like she was standing in a blizzard. Everything was scrambled and weird, she could only just make out the mass of the hills and a particularly large object in front of them.

A loud "wow!" made Hailey open her eyes. Hogwarts loomed above them, its yellow lights glistening in the night sky. The stone towers rose majestically over the black lake, shimmering under the moonlight. Wow indeed. They disembarked the rowboats onto a small stone pier and walked up into the castle.

"Hey Neville, is that your toad?" Hermione asked, pointing to a brown creature lying on the rocks.

"Trevor!" he cried, scooping up the toad into his hands. How had the toad gotten there?

Hagrid directed them off the docks and into the castle. The interior was just as impressive as the outside. Arches rose up to the ceiling and massive stairways let up further into the building. This stone castle was very impressive, but some part of her still longed for the familiar concrete of her home. They approached a gigantic wooden door. Hagrid knocked three times, causing the doors to swing open magically.

A woman was waiting on the other side. She was old and wore emerald-green robes and a tall pointed hat. The room she stood in was huge, at least the size of a house, and the ceiling seemed to stretch on forever.

Hermione nudged her arm.

"That's the woman who turned mum's teacup into a mouse," she provided.

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid announced.

"Thank you Hagrid. I will take them from here."

They followed McGonagall in silence, listening as the drone of voices grew louder. The footsteps of the 50 or so students echoed off the stone walls of the castle, creating a tense atmosphere.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall began once they'd reached an even larger wooden door. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses."

Hailey hoped that the hat would place her in the same house as at least one of her friends. Honestly, the whole house thing was kind of scaring her. It was apparently a very big deal in British Magical society.

"The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room."

She snorted. No matter what "family" she was sorted into, Hailey doubted they could be less crazy than the family she had already. None of these Hogwarts houses contained a giant deadly reptile. Right?

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points are awarded the House Cup, a great honour. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I shall return when we are ready for you."

McGonagall left the room through a side door.

They all waited idly in the room. Hailey leaned against the stairway and talked with Ron about the Sorting ceremony.

"Fred and George say you need to fight a troll, and they decide based on how you kill it," Ron provided, though he didn't really believe them.

Neville paled at the mention of a troll.

"Well I know for a fact that's not the case. They stick a hat on your head and it reads your thoughts or something," Hermione countered. Oddly enough, this was not mentioned in Hogwarts: A History. But the Foundation had an entire file dedicated to the object.

That was something Hailey hadn't considered yet. She didn't want some hat picking around in her mind. Her level of security clearance may not get you far in Site 19, but it got you far enough to learn things that make Area 51 look like Disneyland. Then again, this hat was apparently unable to divulge any information it learned and the Foundation didn't consider a security threat, so she wouldn't either.

A scream sounded from the back of the crowd, echoing against the stone walls. They turned and saw pale and translucent figures fly in through the walls and pass over the student's head. A few of the kids shrieked in terror as the ghosts flew above them.

Amateurs.

Professor McGonagall returned to the room while the ghosts floated through the opposite wall.

"Now form a line and follow me," she commanded.

Hailey got in line behind Hermione and walked through the even larger wooden doors. This room was even larger than the previous one. The ceiling was a cloudy black, dotted with stars. An impressive piece of magic, she thought to herself. It was illuminated by thousands of floating candles, none of which seemed to produce any molten wax. There were four tables in the hall arranged parallel to the entrance and one raised table in front of the window towards the end of the hall.

But most of Hailey's attention was focused on the stool towards the end of the room. On the stool sat a dirty and frayed wizards hat.

"I know the hat is ancient, but you'd think they'd have cleaned it once in a while," Hermione remarked as they waited in line.

She watched in curiosity as a rip in the hat began to open, like a mouth, and the hat began to sing.

_"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me."_

"_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see"_

Now Hailey was getting a bit worried. The hat may not be allowed to reveal anything she knew to others, but she didn't want the whole school to see what would happen if their hat encountered something memetic.

"_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folks use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The whole school clapped loudly as the Sorting Hat finished it's performance. Was this something that the hat did every year?

Professor McGonagall stepped forward to address the students.

"When I call your name, you will step forward and put on the hat," McGonagall said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

The blond-haired girl walked up to the hat nervously and placed it on her head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted.

Next up was a girl named Susan Bones, who was also sorted into Hufflepuff. Hailey found herself idly trying to guess which house everyone would be sorted into. Hermione would be suited for either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Ron, despite his worries, seemed like somebody who would fit right in with what she knew about Gryffindors. Neville, she wasn't so sure of. He could be brave, though surely the Gryffindors did not hold a monopoly on that? But she couldn't tell where she'd fit in.

"Granger, Hermione!"

"Good luck," Hailey whispered as Hermione walked up to the stool. The Sorting Hat seemed to pause for a while, as if making a careful choice.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Hermione smiled and walked over to the corner table, where people were shouting and cheering. She sat down near the end and turned to give Hailey a wave.

The next one of her friends to be sorted was Neville. He approached the stool nervously, and closed his eyes in anticipation once he placed the hat on his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Neville looked shocked, like he had been expecting a different answer. The Gryffindors all clapped as Neville all but ran to the table, accidentally forgetting to take the hat off. The school burst into laughter, causing Neville to turn red. He sat down next to Hermione on the end of the table after returning the hat to the stool.

Draco Malfoy strolled up to the hat like he had all the time in the world when his name was called. The hat barely even touched his head before it shouted "SLYTHERIN!"

Theodore Nott was next, the hat sat on his head for only a few seconds before he was off to join Slytherin. Hailey waited patiently for her name to be called. At least, the name the Wizarding World knew her by.

"Potter, Hailey!"

The hall went dead silent. Not this again.

She walked up to the hat and placed it on her head.

"Hey before we get started, I'd just like to say that if you find anything in my memories talking about cognitohazards, exit that memory as soon as possible," she thought, hoping the hat would hear.

"Ahh, so the Foundation has sent another? Do not worry, I've sorted a few students aware of your organisation in my time," a voice said in her head.

"Really? You know about us?"

"I am old enough to remember the precursors to the SCP Foundation. Trust me, young one, I know lots of things about the place you come from," the Sorting Hat said. "Now, let me see here… plenty of courage, but also a thirst for knowledge. Not surprising, considering your organisation. But I see here you do not merely want knowledge for the sake of knowledge. No, you have great ambitions. To use this knowledge as a weapon against threats beyond comprehension. But where do I sort you?"

"Well, Gryffindor is where my cousin is…"

"And friendship means a lot to you, doesn't it? Two houses could put you on the path towards what you seek. Friendship, knowledge, the power to vanquish great evils. You know what your options are, Hailey Mardas. You will have to choose. Which path do you wish to take to achieve what you desire? Gryffindor or Slytherin?"

"Gryffindor," Hailey whispered in her head after a brief pause.

"Very well. GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted to a roaring cheer from the school.

She took the hat off her head and walked confidently to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat next to Hermione who congratulated her. Her new housemates where whooping and cheering, shouting "We've got Potter!" at the top of their lungs. The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, gave her a nod of acknowledgement when he caught her scanning the head table.

Soon, it was Ron's turn. He looked absolutely terrified as he approached the hat. Hailey gave him a thumbs up when their eyes met. He smiled grimly in response before placing the hat on his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table clapped loudly, Hailey joining them as Ron walked over to the table with a relieved smile. The Weasley twins both gave him a pat on the back as he collapsed into a seat opposite her.

Albus Dumbledore had stood up behind the podium, a pleased smile on his as he looked over the students. His arms were spread like he wanted to embrace the entire school.

"Welcome!" he began. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

Hailey's mind whirled. Dumbledore must have been speaking in some kind of code! But none of those code words were familiar to her. The Foundation would have told her if there was codewords she needed to know. Maybe the code wasn't for her?

"Is he a bit mad?" Ron asked her. Hailey shrugged. She didn't think the Foundation would work with a madman. Then again, they let Dr Bright work there.

Suddenly, she felt a small spatial disturbance. Hailey looked down to see that the tables were filled with food. Did they teleport the food here?

Whatever, she could look into that later. Right now, that pork chop was looking very appealing. She bowed her head and muttered a quick prayer before filling her plate.

"That does look good," a voice said from behind her. She turned around to see the ghost from earlier.

"Right, ghosts can't eat," Hailey recalled.

"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years. I don't need to, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. I'm the ghost of Gryffindor."

"I know you!" Ron interrupted. "My brothers told me about you- You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"Nearly Headless? How can you be _nearly _headless?" Hermione asked.

"'Mione, I wouldn't-" Hailey began, before being interrupted by the ghost grabbing his left ear and swinging his head off his neck. Somebody clearly tried to behead him but done it incorrectly. Or possibly used a blunt axe to deliberately hurt him. That looked brutal.

"Well, I hope you're going to win us the house cup this year," Nicholas said, flipping his head back onto his neck. "Slytherin have got the cup six years now, the Bloody Baron is becoming unbearable."

Nicholas floated off to talk with other students, leaving Hailey to enjoy her food. She listened to the conversations between the other first years, until the conversation eventually turned to family.

"I'm a Halfblood," Seamus explained. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mam didn't tell him until after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."

The other kids laughed, even Hailey chuckled a bit. Despite their encounter on the train, Seamus seemed like a good person.

"What about you, Neville?" Ron asked.

"Well, my gran raised me, she's a witch," he began. "But the family thought I was a Squib for ages. They kept trying to force magic out of me. Nothing happened until I was 8. Great-uncle Alfie was hanging me by the ankles when my great-auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go."

"That's awful!" Hermionie cried.

"But I bounced all the way into the garden and onto the road. They were all really pleased. Gran was crying, she was so happy."

Neville trailed off once he noticed how many people were staring at him. Hailey's early childhood had been awful, but at least she hated the Dursleys just as much as they hated her. Neville had to deal with abuse from people he loved.

"How about you Hermione?" Neville asked, trying to deflect their attention.

"My parents are both Muggles. They're dentists, which is like a Muggle healer for your teeth. But my uncle, my mum's brother, is a Muggleborn so they knew about magic," Hermione said. She'd also been told the fake backstory the Foundation gave Hailey.

"And her uncle is my adoptive father, so we're cousins," Hailey added. "His side of the family are Greek Americans, so I was raised in the United States, up in Montana."

"Where's that?" Ron asked.

"It's on the Canadian border. Really beautiful place, there's lots of mountains and forests I get to explore sometimes."

"That sounds wicked! I'd love to visit sometime," Ron said.

"Yeah… maybe," Hailey trailed off. "The... wizards that live there don't exactly like outsiders. I'll need to get permission to invite any of you over there. Sorry."

She winced and gave Ron an apologetic look, but he shrugged it off.

"Don't worry Hailey, I'm not upset."

Hailey smiled at him in thanks. Maybe, once she knew him better, she could invite him over to Site 19 if the O5 Council approved.

She turned back to the head table, looking over all the people she'll be learning under for the next 7 years. Professor Quirrell was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair and a sharp hook nose, his back turned to her.

The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell and right into her eyes. Hailey suddenly felt an intense burning in her heart, causing her to collapse forward slightly in pain.

"Ah!" she cried, dropping her knife to clutch her the spot of her chest above her heart.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked with a concerned look.

"I'm fine," she hissed as the pain ceased.

For a brief moment there, Hailey could no longer feel the spacetime of her environment. At all. She never realised how much she was constantly doing it until it was gone. It was like she had suddenly gone blind for a few seconds.

Just as quickly as the pain had some, it had disappeared and Hailey felt her spatial six sense return to her. She turned back to look at the hook-nosed teacher who had resumed his conversation with Professor Quirrell.

"Who is that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" she asked the Weasley twins.

"That's Snape, he's the head of Slytherin and the Potions teacher," the one she was pretty sure was George said.

"And he's a right git too! We've been trying to prank him since first year," Fred added.

Interesting, she'd have to keep a close eye on that teacher. The Weasley twins both laughed and spent the remainder of the feast running her through all the pranks they've pulled off. Hailey listened, pushing the thoughts of her burning scar aside as they described a prank they pulled off last year.

"So you charmed every door in a whole corridor to dump water on this Filch person? That's very impressive," she praised as she finished off the last of her dessert.

"What can we say? We aim to please," they said at the same time.

They fell silent when the plates and food all disappeared. The Headmaster had gotten up to address the school.

"First-years should note that the Forbidden Forest is, as the name suggests, forbidden to all pupils. And a few of the older students would do well to remember that too," Dumbledore said, his twinkling eyes flashing in the direction of the Weasley twins. "I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

The two twins to her left whooped in delight, drawing a few laughs from the surrounding students.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Hailey laughed in her head. At first, she thought it was going to be tough adjusting to life at Hogwarts, but this place wasn't so different to the Foundation at all!

"He's not serious?" Ron muttered to the twins.

"Must be," George replied with a smile.

"Might have to take a look, eh Forge?" Fred remarked.

"Oh certainly, we'll take Ronny with us," George laughed. Ron's face turned pale, causing the twins to laugh louder.

"Ron might not want to go, but you can certainly take me with you instead!" Hailey offered, calling their bluff. "Tell you what, meet me there in a week and we'll take a look, OK?"

Honestly, she had trouble remembering a time when she didn't share a roof with something capable of giving her 'a very painful death'. She once lived next to a red liquid that caused human organs to explode for about a month. So this third-floor corridor was nothing out of her comfort zone, though obviously she was just trying to call their bluff.

"Oh most definitely, little firstie," George replied, seemingly amused by her comment.

Well that backfired.

She was saved from having to respond by Dumbledore.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" he said, conjuring some golden ribbon that began to form words in the air. "Everybody pick their favourite tune. And off we go!"

She joined the rest of the school in singing the weird school song, finishing with the rest of the school. The Weasley Twins were the last ones left singing. Dumbledore smiled and conducted the last few lines of their funeral march with his wand.

"Ah music," he began. "A magic far beyond what we do here. And now, bedtime. Off you trot."

They followed Percy up the stone staircases of the castle. The people in the portraits pointed and whispered as they passed through the corridors. She was going to do some research and determine how these portraits are created to see if she could make Cassy a friend.

Percy stopped in front of a portrait of a fat woman in a pink dress. Judging from the large void Hailey felt behind the portrait, this must be the door to Gryffindor house.

"Caput Draconis," he shouted so the other students could hear him, causing the portrait to swing open to reveal the interior of the common room. There were large windows on the tower, letting them see out onto the grounds. In the corner of the room a fireplace crackled peacefully. It was surrounded by comfortable-looking armchairs. Gold and red tapestries hung from the walls around the room.

The common room was very homely. Quite different from the concrete and steel she was used to.

"Girls through that door, boys through that one. You have beds assigned to you. McGonagall will be here to address you in the morning. Now, go to bed," Percy commanded.

Hailey said her goodbyes to Ron and Neville before she departed the common room with Hermione. They walked up the spiral staircase into their assigned dormitories. In the room, there were four beds and two girls already there. Her trunk had also been carried into the room from the train somehow.

The two girls, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, introduced themselves to Hailey and Hermione. All four of them were too tired to talk much, so they all collapsed into their assigned beds.

It was going to be weird sharing a room with somebody. The only people she'd ever shared a room with for any large period of time were the rare occasions the Foundation allowed her to sleepover with Alice and when Achilles fell asleep reading her bedtime stories. Though Hailey was looking forward to the experience.

She drifted off to sleep, excited for her first day of school tomorrow.

* * *

The first thing Hailey saw when she opened her eyes was a swirling sea of red and black light. She felt hard stone beneath her back and a biting wind that was neither hot nor cold. Instead it felt like she was being pelted by a hundreds of little shards of glass.

She stood up, looking around at the barren and desolate landscape she'd been transported to. There was nothing but hot brown rock and glass-like sand beneath an awful black ash-filled sky. An unnatural red sun hung in the sky, casting it's baleful light upon the scorched earth. It looked like it was weeping in pain. Some instinctive primordial part of Hailey knew that there was something very wrong about this place. Every atom of her being wanted to leave and never return.

Hailey tried reaching out with her teleportation powers to leave, but they had deserted her. Left without any other option, she chose a random path and began walking. She had taken only a few steps before she felt the air contort and twist, like it was screaming in agony. Something very powerful had taken notice of her intrusion. The unnatural sun focused all of it's light unto her, plunging the surrounding landscape into darkness.

Hailey screamed as her body was wracked with pain, causing her to collapse into the ground in a twitching mess. She clutched her heart, which had begun to burn like a nuclear inferno. Thick black blood leaked through the gaps of her fingers, pouring from the jagged scar on her chest. The entity's rage and hatred pounded against her mind as she spasmed in a growing pool of blood. Images flashed before her eyes. A man with a rolling pin looming over a tiny bloodied child, a concrete statue covered in blood and flesh, Site 19 burning in eldritch red and black flames

She curled up in terror as an ancient and malevolent laugh reverberated through her soul.

Hailey's eyes snapped open. The comforting view of the Gryffindor dormitories greeted her as she frantically checked her surroundings, panting heavily as her panic faded. That echoing laugh slowly faded, leaving only peaceful silence in its wake. The early morning sun had begun to shine through the windows, giving the room an ethereal glow.

She was lying on her back, her bedsheets dishevelled and drenched in sweat. It was just a nightmare, she was OK. Hailey sighed as she fell back onto the bed, placing her hand on her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart.

**A/N: I told you that the plot of this story would be different to the original. Voldemort is going to be the least of Hailey's worries. Originally this chapter was a lot more graphic but I figured that'd be too much of a change in tone for what has so far been a generally lighthearted story. Plus it would force me to surpass that later in the fanfic and its subsequent sequels. **

**So I finished this chapter. I made this one longer than average to make up for breaking my weekly update schedule. It's around 8000 words instead of the usual 5000. We get introduced to Ron, Neville and Theodore Nott. Neville is going to play a more important role in the earlier years (2 and 3). Theodore is also going to be more important, acting as a kind of inner-Slytherin rival to Draco and a secondary antagonist for "The Golden Quartet" (Hailey, Ron, Hermione, Neville), but he's not just going to be a Draco ripoff. Theodore is the brash and violent counter to Draco's cold and calculating. Theodore and Draco both come from influential old families and will be competing over who reigns supreme over Slytherin House, so they will also be rivals with each other just as much as the Golden Quartet. I hope I managed to convey that dynamic in the train scene. And Ron is going to be book Ron. I like him so I'm not going to make this a Ron bashing fanfic. **

**I'm also working on ways of bringing some low-risk SCPs to Hogwarts. Some of this is going to be pretty OOC for the Foundation (they almost never let SCPs leave containment), but I need a way to keep the SCPs involved in the story while Hailey is at Hogwarts. My explanation is going to be they are more willing to release SCPs in the Wizarding World because there is a reduced risk of breaking normalcy (Wizards wouldn't look twice seeing SCP-085, for example). **

**Quick question for the readers: Would you prefer me to go into the same level of detail as the original books? I felt like most of that sorting ceremony and feast was just a plain retelling of the book, which we've all read. On one hand, I don't want to bore you with plain retellings of the book. On the other hand, I want the narrative and character interactions of this fanfic to make sense. **

**xxMockingbirdxxx: Thanks, I hope I'm characterising everyone in a fair way. They will obviously evolve in a different way to the canon books, but I want to make sure everything is realistic. This is my first fanfic so I hope I'm characterising correctly. **

**PasiveNox: Cheers. Glad you've stuck with this for so long. **

**Yukine-ren: Well here's the update. I decided to make this one longer because I didn't post this chapter at my usual time, so I covered the journey to Hogwarts and the Sorting in the same chapter.**

**Hoodedgenius98: Just wait and see. I've already planned the ending for the First Year, and it involves a highly dangerous SCP on Hogwarts grounds. **

**Shelly: Can't say yet. You'll have to wait for the sequel: SCP-5536 and That Other Large Reptile (title subject to change). **

**Fast Frank: Thanks. I think I did alright with this chapter and I got some work done on the next one. **

**Guest (1): Dunno, but I'm pretty sure that's what Hagrid says in the original book. So you'll have to ask Rowling. **

**Guest (2): Dumbledore has a lot of reasons to fear the Foundation, which will be revealed later. Also, if you didn't pick up on it, O5-11 is a former student of Hogwarts. He still calls him Professor. I haven't decided yet if I want to include Foundation prophecies or not. **

**I'm trying to explain the limitations of Hailey's powers without revealing their exact nature and origins. It doesn't make people like her, rather it eliminates certain barriers that would prevent her from being liked in certain people/entities (exactly what people/entities will be explained later). Like I said earlier, if an SCP would be willing to be friends with Hailey if given time to know her, they will be willing to be friends with Hailey immediately after meeting her. **

**Let's imagine there's an SCP called Dave. This SCP has an anomalous property that it tries to kill everybody who looks at it. Unbeknownst to the Foundation, Dave really likes people who like the colour blue. One day, Hailey shows up. Her favourite colour is blue, but Dave doesn't know this. Normally, Dave would never get the chance to know this and kill her the moment she looks at him. But when they each perceive the other, they share an instantaneous connection. Hailey subconsciously shares her some of her feelings, dreams, memories, etc with the other person (generally things that define her character, not just events in her life). Neither of them actually perceive the information shared between them, but Dave does get the feelings this information would provoke in him. He still doesn't know that Hailey likes the colour blue, but he knows there is something about her he likes. And so he becomes friends with her. **

**And now let's imagine there an SCP called Steve. This SCP has the same properties as Dave except for the fact that he really hates people who like blue. Hailey shows up. They share that emotional connection. But instead of liking her, Steve feels an intense hatred. He can't tell exactly why he feels this way, but something about Hailey makes him angry. So he kills her. **


	8. Chapter 7: First Lessons

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners.**

**EDIT: Thank you pinks99 for finding two errors**

**I wrote this when I was tired, please tell me if there are any errors. **

Hermione always thought of herself as an early riser. Often, she would be awake before even her parents. It was something she prided herself in. Which was why she was not surprised to see that Lavender and Parvati were still asleep, tucked in cosily in their beds. But to her growing alarm, Hailey's bed was empty, with its occupant nowhere to be seen.

The early morning sunlight shone on Hailey's perfectly made bed and opened bags. Her clothes were sorted into the draws and cupboards neatly. She had clearly been awake for a while, Hermione deduced. But Hailey herself was gone from the dormitory. Why was Hailey up so early? Hermione ignored her growing worry and rolled out of bed, scanning the dormitories for her missing cousin while being careful to not wake the other girls.

She suddenly became aware of a faint smell of pine trees that wafted through the dormitory on a gentle breeze. A window must be open somewhere, but hadn't all the windows been closed last night? Hailey must have opened a window for some reason. Hermione tiptoed through the room, following the breeze up the spiral staircase of the tower. As she ascended, she began to hear a faint muttering sound. Straining her ears, Hermione could almost understand the meaning in the muttering, but she couldn't pick out a single word.

At the top of the tower, Hermione found Hailey kneeling before a large open window, her back turned to Hermione. The room was dusty, sparse and filled with burnt-out candles and faded tapestries, the only light source being the window. This place clearly wasn't used often. Turning back to her cousin, she could see that Hailey's head was bowed slightly, her pitch-black hair hanging limply around her shoulders dripping water onto the floor. She was still wearing her nightgown, though it was now soaked. What was she doing? Surely she was cold, being wet so close to open the window? Hermione approached slowly, trying to not alert Hailey to her presence. In the back of her mind, she noticed that the strange muttering noise was coming from Hailey.

A sudden flash of blue sent Hermione stumbling into the wall with black spots dancing in her vision. Hailey was now right in front of her, a wand and a string of metal beads clutched tightly in her hands and a crazed look in her eyes. But she too was stumbling.

"Hailey! Are you OK?" she yelled as she caught Hailey before she could fall on the stone floor, placing her head down gently on her lap.

"S-Sorry. You startled me," Hailey whispered weakly, pocketing her wand and the beads and rubbing her eyes to clear her head. "This always happens when I try teleporting in anti-Apparition wards."

"What's got you so jumpy?"

"Bad dream. But I'm fine now," Hailey assured her.

"You don't look fine to me. What happened? You can tell me, I won't judge," she promised.

Hailey looked a little apprehensive, but she sat up out of Hermione's lap and turned to face her, her back leaning on the dusty wall.

"I sometimes... get these nightmares. Flashes of green and red, the feeling of floating in a void and a lot of pain," Hailey began, tapping the spot over her heart for emphasis. "But that's usually it. Last night, I dreamt of an actual place. A barren desert, instead of the usual red void. And I actually _felt _like I was there, experiencing the pain in my body."

Hermione listened intently, holding Hailey's soft hand tightly to give her the support to continue.

"And it felt like my heart was burning. I couldn't breathe," she hesitates, her voice now quiet and fearful. "I just begged and pleaded for the pain to end, but it just wouldn't stop."

Hailey's eyes were staring were transfixed on an imaginary point a thousand miles away, looking nothing like the lively green orbs they were yesterday. Hermione could have sworn they were dimmer than usual.

"And then I woke up, and the pain was gone," Hailey finished, turning away from Hermione.

"And that's all that happened?"

"Yes, that was it. I was too scared to go to sleep, so I did some chores, took a shower and came out here for a bit of spiritual support."

For somebody who came from a place built upon secrecy, Hailey was a really bad liar. Hermione could tell that she was leaving something out. Hailey's eyes were like giant green neon signs that spelled out whatever emotion the girl was feeling to anybody who knew to look. And right now, that emotion was guilt.

"If there's something you want to tell me, I'm here for you. Whatever it is that happened, I'll try to understand," Hermione assured the smaller girl.

Hailey sighed and placed her head back against the wall. She shook slightly, like she was trying to work up the courage to relive those memories again. A glint of silver caught Hermione's eyes. Her cousin had pulled those metal beads out of her pocket and was tracing small circles around it with her thumb. This seemed to calm her down enough to speak.

"There was _something _there with me, causing the pain. I could feel it, like standing in a storm of rage and hatred. It knew , forced me to experience my worst memories and fears. Anything to cause more pain," Hailey recounted, a hollow look in her eyes. "And it _laughed. _I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that laugh."

"Do you think it has something to do with Vol- You-Know-Who?"

Hailey turned sharply to look at Hermione, studying her face as if trying to solve some riddle then shaking her head to dismiss whatever thoughts were going through her head.

"Maybe? Look, it was just a nightmare. I'm overreacting."

"Hailey, you shouldn't just dismiss your fears like that. It's alright to be scared sometimes," Hermione comforted. She joined her cousin in sitting against the wall. "Can I tell you a secret? I'm absolutely terrified."

"Really? Of what?" Hailey asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"Of _everything_! Am I still going to be the swotty outcast I was in primary school!? Are you going to ditch if I can't handle all this crazy anomalous stuff!? Is this magical world going to reject me if I don't somehow prove I belong here!?"

"Hermione! You shouldn't be worrying about any of that! You already have friends: Ron, Neville and I. And I for one would never just ditch you if you don't want to be involved with the Foundation. Believe it or not, Hermione, you are a likeable person that I enjoy spending time with. And they aren't going to reject you. You're a witch, and a really good one too. You already belong here."

Hermione brushed tears out of her eyes and gave Hailey a watery smile.

"You're just saying that!" she giggled, giving Hailey a soft punch on the arm. "Ron hates me."

"Ron most definitely does not hate you. He's a nice boy, give him some time to get to know you. Neville likes you, especially after you helped find his toad. I like you. You are a likeable person. You've got nothing to be afraid of."

"Well _you've_ got nothing to be ashamed of. You live in a place filled with monsters and Lovecraftian horrors. By all means, you should be scared constantly. I certainly would be. But you're not. So don't feel like you're aren't brave just because you're shaken from a nightmare."

It was Hailey's turn to wipe tears from her eyes.

"Thanks Hermione," Hailey said, placing her hand on Hermione's knee. "It really needed that."

"Anytime Hailey," Hermione promised. She stood up and helped Hailey to her feet. "Come now, breakfast will be soon, we should get ready."

The two girls made their carefully down the eroded stone staircase. Hermione let her mind wander absentmindedly as she walked. Hailey's words earlier had given her a lot to think about. Hermione had never been able to hold any friends for any significant amount of time and a small part of her still feared that Hailey, Ron and Neville would eventually drift away from her despite Hailey's promises. She had always tried to help and be kind to people, but only ended up driving them away. But against all odds, she now had three friends. Maybe she wasn't unlikeable after all?

Hermione turned her attention back to her cousin. Hailey was clearly still worried about the dream she had, judging by the haunted look on her face. Whenever Hermione was frightened or sad, her mother would always get her talking about something pleasant instead, like her latest school project. Her mum would always say it was to remind Hermione how to be happy. Maybe the same thing would work on Hailey?

"By the way, what are those metal beads you're holding?" Hermione asked, figuring that they must be something Hailey had good memories of considering how she used them to comfort herself earlier. "I've never seen you with them before."

"Oh that!" Hailey pulled out the metal chain to show Hermione. "They're rosary beads my friend Cain made me. It's supposed to help with prayer, but I also like to hold them whenever I feel scared or worried."

Hermione looked curiously at the bracelet Hailey was holding. It had metal beads of various sizes threaded by a delicate-looking chain. A small cross hung from one end of the necklace-sized ring. Whoever Hailey's friend was, he was very talented.

"Cain… that's an odd name, right?" Hermione remarked, figuring that getting Hailey to talk about her friends would cheer her up.

Hailey tilted her head slightly, confusing Hermione. Her cousin was religious, surely she knew the significance of that name?

"I mean, if you were naming a kid after a religious figure I didn't think somebody would name their kid Cain," Hermione elaborated. "That's the name of the biblical son of Adam and Eve who was cursed by God for murdering his brother Able."

"Oh, that!" Hailey explaimed, a small smile on her face. "Cain isn't named after anyone. Cain is the actual Cain. And if you ask me, he's way nicer than Able."

Noting the smile on her face, Hermione signed in relief. That smile made Hailey look more like the happy girl she knew her as. There was life back in her eyes. Relief quickly faded into shock as Hermione registered Hailey's words.

"Wait, your friend is the _actual _Cain!? As in, the _biblical _Cain?" Hermione sputtered, not believing what she was hearing. Witches and Wizards, she could handle. Anomalous entities and objects, she was still processing. Cain being a real person that her cousin was apparently friends with? That would take a while.

"Yeah, he's that Cain. I get to see him when I visit Site 17. That's where we keep most of the low-risk anomalies," Hailey explained, like knowing biblical characters personally was the most normal thing in the world. Though Hermione was starting to get the feeling that this _was _Hailey's version of normal.

"He loves farming and all things agriculture, but as part of his curse anything plant-based within 20 metres of him dies," Hailey continued, ignorant of Hermione's internal strife. "So the Foundation have decided to provide metal-working equipment to try and fill the void which he used to make me these beads. It's one of my most important possessions. Sometimes we pray together."

Too stunned to respond, Hermione looked at Hailey with an incredulous look on her face. Hermione was raised a Christian, but she still had trouble believing that Hailey was friends with an actual biblical figure. Somehow, it was easier to believe her cousin was friends with a zombie-creating doctor than the son of Adam and Eve. What's next? She's going to say the Virgin Mary was her roommate?

Trailing behind Hailey down the stairs, Hermione barely registering the stone of the castle becoming cleaner and less eroded until they had reached their dormitories. Lavender and Parvati were both awake now, and seemed to be getting ready for their first day.

"I was wondering where you two had run off too," Lavender said, running a hairbrush through her hair.

"No offense Hailey, but you look awful," Parvati remarked, looking over the girl's limp, wet hair and nightgown. "I hope you aren't planning on going downstairs looking like that!"

"Yeah I know, I just needed some alone time. Hermione went looking for me," Hailey admitted, face tinged red slightly with embarrassment.

Hailey gave her hair another wash and straightened it with a hairbrush, letting it flow loosely down her shoulders like a black veil framing her pale skin. Hermione wished she had straight hair like that, hers was impossible to tame. Whenever she tried to straighten it, her hair always ended up looking like a brown mane again within the hour. At least she wouldn't look out of place in the house of lions, she thought ruefully.

All four girls changed into their school robes, which had gained maroon trimmings overnight. She caught Hailey examining the transformed robes closely, clearly intrigued by the colour change. Hermione was still too busy processing the fact that Cain was real to care about something so trivial by comparison. They met up with Ron and Neville in the common room before departing for breakfast.

Hermione decided to push thoughts of Hailey's biblical friend to the back of her mind for now. When it came to mind-blowing revelations or schoolwork, she would choose to focus on the schoolwork. She couldn't be distracted in her classes whenever Hailey said something that shattered her worldview. It was her first day. There were things to learn, people to meet and teachers to impress. And Hermione Granger was going to take on everything Hogwarts could throw at her!

* * *

Despite Hermione's attempts, Hailey still couldn't stop thinking of that nightmare she had. There was something about it that terrified her. Something very real and sinister. It didn't feel like some figment of her imagination like the floating red void, the green flash or her nightmares of _it_. This nightmare had felt like she was really there, tasting the grimey sand and feeling the burning sun on her skin. She'd have to talk to Achilles when she returned to Site 19.

But for now, Hailey had more mundane things to worry about. Honestly, she wished she had not been born Hailey Potter. Eyes and hushed whispers would follow her wherever she went. And Hailey was fed up with it all. She felt like the Hogwarts student body paid more attention to her life than even the Foundation's researchers, despite the latter actually being paid to document everything she does. She couldn't even walk to class without eyes following her.

Though she'd admit that might be because the first years quickly picked up that Hailey never got lost in the castle. Some had taken up no-so-subtlety following her around. Ron had quickly declared her the official navigator of their friend group. The anti-Apparition wards certainly dulled her spatial sense to the point she could only vaguely know her position within the castle, but it was enough to avoid angering Finch and avoid being late for their lessons. Though Hailey did not think it was physically possible to be late for a lesson when you were friends with Hermione Granger. She would always insist they leave for classes as early as they would let her.

How Hogwarts expected students to navigate a whole castle with shifting staircases and false doors without a map or signage, she had no idea. Without her anomalous senses, this place would be almost impossible to navigate. Hailey told Ron and Neville she just had a good sense of direction (which was technically true, she did have a sense that helped with direction) to avoid having to tell them about her abilities.

The lessons themselves were interesting, though they were not what she was used to. Magic was certainly taught differently to how the Foundation would teach her things like mathematics or English. The teachers were actually in the room with her instead of on monitors projected from who knows where. And she had actual classmates!

Her favourite subject so far was Charms. It was taught by a short wizard named Professor Flitwick, who she wasn't sure was entirely human. He had nearly fallen off his chair when he read Hailey's name on the roll, much to her embarrassment. But she always looked forward to his lessons, the spells he planned to teach them all seemed very practical and useful. This also seemed to be Ron's favourite subject.

Whatever enjoyment she derived from Charms was counteracted by the boredom she had to endure in History of Magic, something she initially was looking forward too. The Foundation's history with the Wizarding World was heavily redacted (all she knew was that they were involved with creating the Statute of Secrecy), so she was hoping to find out if there were any references to them in the Wizarding World's history. But the ghost teacher just droned on and on about Goblin rebellions. Out of her 3 friends, Hermione was the only one who paid attention for the entirety of the lesson. Even Neville, who was usually too scared to not focus, ended up staring into space towards the end of the lesson.

"Probably died after boring himself to death," Ron had joked as they left.

History of Magic wasn't made any easier to endure by the fact that they were all tired from doing Astronomy at midnight the previous night. Hailey rarely had the chance to look at the stars (she wasn't allowed to go outside without permission, especially at night), so she found that session enjoyable. Though she agreed with Ron that climbing up to the tower at midnight every week was going to get old real quick.

Herbology was very interesting. Professor Sprout gave them an introductory guide on how to handle the magical plants and fungi they would encounter at school and in the wild. Hailey and Neville found that they were both rather good at handling the plants. Neville knew things about the plants they were studying even Hermione didn't know, which said was because he spent a lot of time tending to a magical garden at his home, though both Hermione and Hailey noted he seemed embarrassed by it. Hailey helped him feel less embarrassed by telling him she also took care of a magical garden. And by that she meant volunteering at the Botanical Sector of Site 19. Hailey assured him that gardening was a very cool skill and promised to see his garden one day, which seemed to make him happier.

Right now, they were all climbing those infernal shifting staircases to their first Transfiguration lesson. Hermione was leading (as usual) while Ron, Neville and Hailey trailed behind.

"Ah!" Hailey screamed as her foot phased through a step causing her to fall onto the staircase. Ron and Neville both caught her flailing arms before she could fall further. Hermione whirled around to see the two boys help her out of the false step and back into her feet.

"Why does that damned thing even exist!" Hailey complained while she dusted herself off.

"You alright Hailey?" Ron asked.

"Yeah I'm fine."

"Well come on then, we don't want to be late!" Hermione chided. Ron glared at her behind her back but didn't say anything.

Despite Hailey's efforts, Ron and Hermione still seemed cold to one another. This put Hailey in the awkward position of being the buffer and peacekeeper between the two. She just knew they could be friends, provided they got the chance to get to know each other.

Though Hailey was not surprised by her cousin's eagerness to arrive to class early. Transfiguration was the subject Hermione was most looking forward to studying. She couldn't stop talking about it all week. Hailey herself had been interested in Defense Against the Dark Arts the most, until she had to sit through a lesson of Quirrell's stutter and the noxious smell of garlic.

They made it into the classroom with a few minutes to spare. Professor McGonagall didn't appear to be in the room yet, instead there was a small tabby cat sitting on the desk. Odd, she didn't think somebody as strict as Professor McGonagall would wait this long to arrive to class. Hermione dragged Hailey to a seat in the front row while Neville and Ron sat further back.

The tabby cat looked over the students in the classroom in an odd manner, like it was… counting them? The all gasped as the cat leaped off the desk, morphing into the form of Professor McGonagall when it landed.

"She's an animagus!" Hermione whispered to Hailey.

"That is correct, Miss Granger. One point to Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall said. Hermione turned red, realising that her whispering been heard by the teacher but pleased that she had earned her house a point.

Wasting little time with introductions, Professor McGonagall launched right into the lesson.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. It is the ability to bend and shift matter to your will," McGonagall explained, demonstrating by turning her desk into a pig and back again with a wave of her wand. "Anybody messing around in my class will earn themselves a weeks worth of detention. Now, today you will be attempting to transfigure a match into a needle. This is an introductory spell, to give you a general understanding of Transfiguration magic."

Matches flung themselves out of a box in the corner of the room and onto their desks. She made them take notes before demonstrating the required spellwork by turning her match into a shiny needle and commanded them to each try and replicate what she did. Hailey strained her imagination, trying to picture the needle in her mind, and recited the spell with her wand in hand. She opened her eyes and glared at her unchanged matchstick.

At the end of the lesson, few kids had managed to make a difference to their matches. Hermione had gotten the furthest, turning her matchstick pointed and silvery, earning her another 5 points for Gryffindor and a rare smile from Professor McGonagall. Hailey's looked glumly at her own match, which after half an hour of trying had only gained a point on one end. Still, it was good progress and above the class average.

After Transfiguration, the Gryffindors returned to their common room for the brief period of free time they had before dinner. Hermione and Neville retreated to their dormitories as soon as they arrived. Hailey passed this time with a game of chess with Ron in the common room, which he beat her at in an embarrassingly short period of time. He laughed it off and offered to teach her the strategies of the game.

Overall, Hailey was enjoying her time at Hogwarts. But a part of her still missed her home in the Foundation. Which was why she was pleased to be informed by Professor McGonagall that evening she was to accompany her to see Professor Dumbledore. This must be that meeting dad told her about!

Hailey said goodbye to Hermione, who was reading a Transfiguration textbook in their dormitory, and Ron and Neville who had started their own game of chess in the common room and left for the Headmaster's office. Hailey followed the woman silently through the upper levels of the castle, taking note of the route.

They arrived in front of a griffon statue standing proudly in a small alcove of the room, which Professor McGonagall told her sternly to enter.

"Caramel Cobwebs," Professor McGonagall said clearly. She then hurried away quickly, clearly having more important matters to attend to. The floor began to rise slowly with a gentle rumble, reminding Hailey of an elevator.

The stone floor came to a gentle stop, opening up to a vast circular room. Instead of the usual stone, this room seemed to be made out of a strange marble. Silvery objects whistled and puffed on the tables, giving the room a lively feel despite being seemingly devoid of people. Were these objects some kind of magical recording or sensory devices? Bookshelves and portraits surrounded the room. On a shelf to the left of the room, the Sorting Hat rested, looking like it had never been moved in centuries. Hailey wandered around the strange office, taking in all the curious objects. What the Foundation wouldn't give to have access to this room…

"Hello there, Miss Mardas," a voice said from behind her. She whirled around from a gently humming ball-like device to see the Headmaster standing calmly behind her, hands clasped behind his back. He was looking at her over his half-moon spectacles with a soft smile.

"Sorry Headmaster, I didn't see you there," Hailey apologised, feeling like she'd been caught doing something wrong.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, curiosity is natural for a girl your age," Professor Dumbledore consoled. "The device you were looking at is Thaumagraph, it detects the general distress of the student body."

The humming sound suddenly fell in pitch and the metallic ball stopped levitating.

"Ah, it would seem the 5th years have finished their potion lesson," he commented.

Hailey looked away from the Thaumagraph and back to the Headmaster with a curious look on her face.

"So, you know about where I come from?" Hailey probed, trying to determine if she could trust this person. The Foundation certainly considered him trustworthy, but Hailey felt the need to know for sure.

"That is correct, Hailey. It would seem your father was kind enough to tell you about me in advance."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know the Foundation and my father?" she asked, eager to know more about the man the Foundation trusted with their secrets.

"I worked with them a long time ago to defeat a very dark wizard. Since then, we have worked together to keep the magical world secret from the Muggles. As for you father, I'm afraid I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting Mr Mardas yet," Professor Dumbledore explained in his grandfatherly voice. Hailey felt slightly stupid for assuming he knew her dad just because her dad knew about him.

"But I did know your birth father," he added.

"You knew James Potter?"

"Indeed. Lily and James Potter were close friends of mine. I still remember when they were your age. They were both brilliant and kind people. I can see a lot of them in you, Miss Mardas."

There was that feeling again, the one that returned whenever somebody talked about her birth parents. Longing? How was it possible to long for people you can't even remember? Her parent's death was something Hailey had never mentally addressed before. For most of her life, they were just names in a Foundation report. Undefined concepts floating in her head. She knew they existed but could never relate to them or feel any emotion towards them.

But now that she was at Hogwarts she felt closer to her parents than she had ever been before, by meeting all these people who knew them. And despite Achilles being more of a father to her than she could ever wish for, she now deeply missed her birth parents. And Hailey didn't know how she felt about that.

"Now, the reason I requested your presence. As I'm sure Mr Mardas has informed you, we have organised special provisions in light of your-" he paused, considering his words carefully. "_Unique _circumstances. They have one of their facilities about a hundred kilometres from Hogwarts. I will apparate you out of the castle to a designated location and return to Hogwarts. The SCP Foundation will take over from there."

"I thought Apparition was impossible in Hogwarts?" Hailey asked. Did Professor Dumbledore have an ability like hers?

"In my life, I have found that nothing is truly impossible. As I am sure you will learn, if you go down the path that fate has laid out for you," Dumbledore said cryptically. "To answer your question, there are certain perks to being Headmaster. And I believe you have a far stranger method of bypassing the wards."

He looked pointedly at her, causing Hailey to blush in embarrassment. Did the Foundation tell him about her anomalous powers?

"You know about my teleportation abilities?"

"One of my old friends in the Foundation was kind enough to fill me in. I would ask that you show restraint in using your abilities, the Wizarding World doesn't need another reason to be paranoid."

This confused her. Why would they be scared of her? Hailey was a low-risk anomaly, and she wasn't going to hurt anyone on purpose. Compared to what the Foundation held in their containment units, she was harmless. The only reason she hid her teleporting powers so far was to preserve Foundation secrets.

"You'll have to be here at 10 in the morning on Saturday," Dumbledore insisted. "Now, I do believe you should be rejoining your friends. I hear that the House Elves have prepared a delightful dinner."

A rumbling sound from her stomach reminded Hailey that she hadn't eaten in hours.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."

She politely bid Professor Dumbledore farewell, leaving through the griffon statue.

* * *

The next morning, Hailey received a letter. She untied the letter from Hedwig's leg and offered her a piece of toast to her owl, stroking it's head as she read the untidy note.

_Dear Harry,  
__I know you get Friday afternoon off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea around three? I want to hear about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.  
__Hagrid_

"So, what does it say?" Ron asked, still chewing on a sausage much to Hermione's irritation.

"Hagrid, he's that large man who escorted us into the school, has invited me for tea this afternoon. Would you guys like to come?"

"Sure, I'd like to meet Hagrid-"  
"Sure, I'd like to see Hagrid again-" Hermione and Ron said at the same time. They both shot each other glares and returned to their food, causing Hailey to facepalm internally. So far her efforts to get Hermione and Ron friendly with each other had failed. She knew that they could be friends, Ron had stood up to Nott for her and Hermione had tried to comfort him on the train ride to Hogwarts, but they still didn't see it.

"I'd like to meet Hagrid too," Neville said quietly to her. She shot him an appreciative smile. Neville was somebody she could always talk with whenever Hermione and Ron were arguing.

"Alright, I'll tell Hagrid that I'm bringing over Hermione and two new friends," Hailey said, pulling out her pencil and writing out a reply on the back of Hagrid's letter and sending it back with Hedwig.

She was glad to have tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because right now she has double Potions with the Slytherins which she already suspected was going to be awful.

Potions classes were held in the dungeons of the castle, taught by the hook-nosed teacher Professor Snape. Hailey knew he disliked her for whatever reason, but she was about to find out that Snape absolutely loathed her very existence.

When they arrived at the classroom, they quickly found out most of the students were already there. There were only a few spare seats remaining. Hailey made sure Hermione and Ron sat next to each other on the same table, which left Neville to sit next to Seamus Finnigan. She drew the metaphorical short straw and had to sit next to Draco Malfoy.

"Did your friends ditch you, Mardas?" Malfoy sneered at her.

"Did yours?" she shot back. "I notice your bodyguards aren't here to protect you."

Hailey nodded pointedly to the table in front of them, where Crabbe and Goyle were bickering over some nonsense. On the edge of the room, Theodore Nott was sitting with Zabini though neither of them were talking with the other. Nott looked like he was trying to burn her with his angry stare while Zabini seemed preoccupied with taking notes.

"Your lackeys aren't here to protect you either. Can't believe Weasley prefers Granger over you," he retorted, causing Hailey to seeth with anger.

"No, I was just the one unfortunate enough to sit with you," Hailey snapped back. Her eyes burned with anger and her pale skin was tinged red.

"Careful Mardas, you face is turning red. I'm beginning to think you enjoy my company," Malfoy drawled, meeting her hateful eyes with his own icy grey ones. He smirked when he saw Hailey clenching her teeth violently.

"Why you little-"

She were silenced by the sudden arrival of Professor Snape, who flew in through the side door like an oversized vulture descending on a meal.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those select few-" he began, turning to look at Malfoy briefly. "-who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper… in death."

Silence followed his speech. Snape, like McGonagall, possesses the ability to keep a room silent without effort. He stood tall over the seated first years, scanning the faces of the class like he was examining potions ingredients. His cold black eyes paused when they reached her.

"Ah, yes," he drawled, drawing our each word. "Hailey Potter. Our new celebrity."

Behind her, the Slytherins his their sniggers behind their hands. She turned and saw Malfoy looking at her with a cocky smile and a triumphant look in his eyes. Ron was now glaring at Snape, who had stopped in front of Hailey's desk.

"Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Hermione's hand shot up in the air while Hailey tried to remember the content of her potions book. Wormwood was something she's never heard of, but root of asphodel she remembered.

"Root of asphodel is generally used in numbing agents, so I imagine some kind of numbing or paralysis potion?"

A brief flicker of surprise flickered in Snape's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by hatred. He sneered down at her, looking like he was enjoying every moment of this.

"Incorrect. Let's try again, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione's hand shot up once more. Hailey gave her a subtle look, trying to convey that this teacher wouldn't appreciate her trying to answer the question. Hermione didn't pick up on what Hailey was trying to tell her, but Ron whispered in her ear and the raised hand was lowered hesitantly.

Hailey suddenly realised that she'd been sitting silently for too long now. She turned back to Snape, who's eyes were darting between her and Ron.

"I don't know, sir."

"Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything. Final question: what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know that either."

Malfoy hid a smirk behind his hands next to her. She just glared at him.

"Can anybody else answer that question?" Snape demanded, scanning the students. A few people hesitantly raised their hands, though she noticed Hermione was not among them.

"Weasley! Did your little stating contest with Potter help you find the answer?" he snapped, rounding on the red haired boy.

"Er… I think they're the same thing, right?" Ron answered hesitantly. Hermione glanced at him critically, not expecting Ron to know the answer.

Snape glowered at Ron.

"A point from Gryffindor for your cheek, Weasley," he hissed, now turning back to the rest of the class. "For your information, asphodel and wormwood makes a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name Aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying this down."

Around her, the students were rummaging for quills and parchment. Hailey ignored them, instead continuing to glare at Snape angrily. Ron got the right answer, why did Snape take a point from him?

The lesson didn't improve from there. Snape put them into pairs and told them to begin creating a simple potion to cure boils. Hailey suddenly realised that she would be working with Malfoy.

"I hope you are better at brewing potions than you are at insults, Mardas."

"Game on, Malfoy."

They silently agreed to focus on the potion, each of them trying to out-compete the other. Hailey quickly realised that Malfoy was surprisingly good at potion-making, though she also found that a lot of the skills the Foundation and Louis taught her were a big help in brewing potions. Despite their animosity, they made quick time with their brew, pausing only when Neville accidentally melted Seamus' cauldron, causing their highly corrosive potion to spill out on the floor.

Poor Neville had been drenched in the mixture, causing angry red boils to spring up on his arms and legs. Hailey and Ron got up to help their friend, leaving Malfoy and Hermione to watch their potions. They were sent back to their seats by an angry wave from Snape.

"Idiot boy!" Snape snarled. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire."

Hailey watched in fear as boils started to appear on Neville's nose.

"Take him to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus, before waving a wand over the potion to vanish it. He then rounded on her.

"You, Potter! Why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

Hailey stares at him incredulously. Neville had been sitting on the opposite side of the room to her. She opened her mouth to argue, but Malfoy kicked her under the chair.

"Don't be stupid, Mardas," he hissed at her. She glared back at him.

They finished their potion in silence, working surprisingly well together. At the end of the lesson, everyone submitted their potions. Hermione and Ron received an acceptable for their potion while Malfoy and Hailey received an Outstanding along with Nott and Zabini, despite Hernione and Ron's potion being just as good as theirs. Hailey was under no illusions that had it been her that presented their potion instead of Malfoy, it would have been marked worse. Snape clearly favoured his house. Though she grudgingly admitted that Malfoy was very talented.

Hailey left with Ron and Hermione for their tea with Hagrid, all of them ranting about the Snape's unfairness.

"What an awful man," Hermione remarked as they left. Hailey shot her cousin a shocked look. Was Hermione criticising a teacher?

"It was totally unfair of him to speak so rudely or single out Hailey," Ron agreed.

"And how about you? You actually answered his question correctly!" Hermione added. "By the way, how did you know the answer to that?"

"Wolfsbane makes a potion that helps keep you awake. Percy uses it for studying."

They stopped by the hospital wing to check on Neville. When they arrived, they saw him covered in bandages.

"Hey mate, how are you doing?" Ron asked.

"I'm alright now. Sorry I lost you points Hailey," Neville said softly through the bandages covering parts of his face. He seemed utterly mortified at having embarrassed himself again.

"Don't blame yourself, Neville. Snape was just looking for an excuse to take points from Gryffindor," Hailey consoled. "It's not your fault he's a-"

They were interrupted by a stern-looking woman who told them to leave her patient along. They protested, but were forced to leave. Though not before they each told Neville to get well soon. After they were kicked out of the hospital, they walked down to Hagrid's cabin by the Forbidden Forest. Hailey knocked on the door, hearing a frantic scrambling and a few loud barks from inside.

"Back, Fang, back!" Hagrid shouted from inside the cabin. He unlocked the heavy bolts on the door and let them in, struggling to hold the collar of an enormous black dog. She scanned the interior of the cabin curiously. There were hams and pheasants hanging from the ceiling and a copper kettle was boiling on an open fire pit. In the centre of the room there was a wooden table. Hagrid's cabin was very homely.

"Make yerselves at home," Hagrid offered, letting go of Fang who bounded straight at Hermione and began licking her hand.

"Hagrid, this is Ron Weasley," Hailey introduced. "Our other friend Neville Longbottom couldn't make it, he had a bad potion accident."

"Tha's unfortunate, that is," Hagrid said, pouring boiling water into a large teapot. "Another Weasley, eh? I knew yer brother Charlie, great friend he was. Great with the animals too."

The rock cakes Hagrid offered certainly lived up to their name, but they each pretended to enjoy them to not hurt Hagrid's feelings while they told him about their first lessons. Hermione recounted every detail of their Transfiguration lesson while Ron and Hailey tried to subtly hide their rock cakes in their pockets. She should bring some of these back to the Foundation, they were hard enough to be considered an SCP. When they got to the part about Snape's lesson, they each complained loudly about all the ways Snape had been unfair to them. Hagrid told them to not worry about it and that Snape didn't like anyone.

"He seemed to really hate me though," Hailey said, Ron and Hermione nodding along with her.

"Rubbish! Why should he?"

She noticed Hagrid looked a bit guilty saying that. He quickly changed the topic to Ron's brother Charlie. Hermione listed in on their conversation, eager to hear about the dragons. Meanwhile, Hailey zoned out and absentmindedly flicked through a newspaper sitting on the hardwood table. Her eyes widened as she read the headline.

_GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST_

Somebody broke into Gringotts? She noted with alarm that the date of the break-in was the day she visited there with Hagrid. The paper said that the vault the thief was after had been cleared on the same day. There was only one vault she knew that was cleared on that day, and it contained that brown paper package. Was the thief after whatever it was in Vault 713?

"Hagrid!" Hailey shouted. "There was a break-in at Gringotts on my birthday. We were at Gringotts when it happened!"

Hagrid definitely looked guilty this time, refusing to meet her eyes. He muttered something before checking the time on an old clock.

"Well, it's gettin' late. Best yer be headin' back ter the castle," Hagrid said, practically shooing them out of the cabin.

He was definitely hiding something. Hailey shared her thoughts with Ron and Hermione as they walked back to the castle, telling them about the vault Hagrid had emptied earlier. His guilty look all but confirmed what they suspected: Whoever this thief was, they were after that package.

**A/N: This chapter is mostly just filler to add a bit of character development, particularly for Hermione. Because the original books are all from Harry's POV, we never really get to explore Hermione's feelings in the first year. I believe that Hermione had a few insecurities around her appearance, being accepted by the Wizarding World and her ability to make friends, so I'm going to try and address how she gets over them.**

**One of Hermione's major character flaws (especially in the first year) was that she didn't seem capable of accounting for other people's emotions. So, despite wanting to help people (like when she tells Ron he has dirt on his nose or how to correctly cast a spell) she comes off as rude and abrasive when she's just trying to be helpful. I wanted to include the first part of this chapter to explore the relationship Hermione has with Hailey and also show Hermione learning how to be sensitive of other's emotions (when she successfully comforts Hailey over the nightmare she had). Next chapter is going to cover Hailey's return to the Foundation, the flying lessons next week and possibly the third floor corridor discovery (where Ron and Neville might make a discovery of their own). **

**Also, I included a poll on my profile about how much you want me to repeat parts of the book.**

**Yukine-ren: Voldy's going to be the antagonist for the first book. But I've provided a few hints on who the real main antagonist of the narrative is going to be. They'll be revealed to the characters eventually, but you guys will probably figure it out sooner. If you do, I'll ask that you don't include it in the reviews to avoid spoiling it for anyone. **

**PasiveNox: Glad you liked this one. **

**Hoodedgenius88: I've already planned for that scene, but you might have to wait a bit for it. **

**Guest 1: I can't really answer that properly without spoiling the narrative. Though of course my lack of an answer probably gives you the answer anyway. So let me just say this does not make Hailey unique or special in any way. For the rest of you, don't look at this question if you don't want to be spoiled. **

**SCP735: Poor Hailey is going to have a lot to handle next year. **

**FanGirl: For now. I've got plans for him.**

**Guest 2: Just wait for the later books, I might have to increase the rating in the future for a few of the scenes I've planned for. **

**Alright, I'll keep repetition to a minimum. At the very least, the different character dynamics should allow me to keep some narrative the same but give enough difference for the story to remain interesting. **

**Eventually. The plot will get more SCP Verse-centric as the story progresses. **

**DodemGM: I'll keep that in mind. How about if the character dynamics are different but the events remain the same?**

**It will generally be low-risk SCPs. I was thinking of the Foundation allowing 085 into Hogwarts to act as a spy while pretending to be a portrait. **

**pinks99: Glad you've enjoyed my story. So far most people would prefer if I don't repeat parts that are the same as in the original book. So I'll do that. Tell me if I'm repeating too much. **


	9. Chapter 8: 053

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners. **

**So last week I decided to proofread my previous chapter at 1 am. This experience taught me a valuable lesson: don't proofread my chapters at 1 am. Thank you to everyone who pointed out the errors. I've updated the chapter to remove the errors and make it flow better. **

"And then he took points off Ron just for answering the question right! I mean, why would you ask a question if-"

"Hailey! Focus on the patient!" Louis ordered.

The pig she was operating on gave a weak squeal as Hailey nudged the piece of metal in its ribcage with her elbow accidentally.

"Sorry!" she whispered hastily to the animal. Her face flushed red in embarrassment, this surgery had not gotten off to a good start.

For whatever reason, the Foundation ran an experiment that led to a pig being stabbed by a shard of metal. Rather than let it go to waste, they gave it to SCP-049 who had tasked her with trying to clean and close the wound and (maybe) save the pig's life.

"Could you finish this quickly? I don't like the look of all that blood," Alice pleaded from the corner of the room. She was sitting on a small stool in her favourite floral dress trying not to be sick. Louis didn't experience emotion like a human so he was more resistant to her effects. Because of that the Foundation had allowed her to sit in on Hailey's medical lessons, a safe 10 metres away from the operating table. Hailey strongly suspected Louis was testing her mentally by allowing Alice here.

"Sorry Alice. I'll have the shard out riiigghhhtt… now!" Hailey said, yanking a jagged piece of metal from the wound triumphantly. A sudden gush of blood from the wound hit her in the eyes, causing her to stumble and drop the metal piece to the floor. She wiped her face with her equally bloody gloved hands.

"Ah, damn it!" Hailey exclaimed, reaching over to cover the bleeding wound. A bit of blood had even made it past her white apron and splattered on her faded green dress. Behind her, Alice's brown skin had turned pale and she looked like she was about to throw up.

Louis watched silently from behind her, his silvery bird-like mask hiding any emotions he might have had.

The pig squealed in pain as Hailey disinfected the wound, forcing her to hold it still. She pulled out a needle and thread to stitch the gash closed and wrapped bandages around the wound to stop the bleeding. It wasn't her best work, and it was a far worse job than any actual doctor would perform, but the pig would live. Provided it didn't die from the blood loss or infection. Or Louis decided to use it for his research.

"You were distracted," Louis stated accusingly.

"I know, but it's just been so exciting going to Hogwarts and I really want to tell you about everything and I've made so many new friends like Neville and Ron and the classes are really inter-"

"Hailey, as a doctor I must advise that you remember to breathe," Louis drawled. "I know you are excited, I feel the same way every time I make a breakthrough. But medicine, especially surgery, requires focus. You will never be able to battle a plague as insidious as the Pestilence with a divided attention! You should have been ready to treat the wound the moment you extracted the metal intrusion, now the patient has lost an unsafe amount of blood. I can sense the Pestilence within the animal has worsened, your inattention nearly killed it."

Looked down at the tranquillised pig, Hailey struggled to feel more than a twinge of guilt for nearly killing it. Sure she felt disappointed in herself and shame for failing in the eyes of her mentor, but she couldn't bring herself to feel much towards the animal she had been treating. Had she not been directly responsible for the pig's state, Hailey doubted she would feel guilt at all. Living in Site 19 had done strange things to how she felt empathy. Like most people who spent more than a few years here, Hailey had learnt to suppress unwanted emotional attachment to avoid triggering guilt or empathy within her. It helped insulate her from all the trauma that came with living in the SCP Foundation.

"I know, I'm sorry Louis," Hailey apologised as she cleaned the blood off her hands. "It won't happen again."

"Failure is the greatest teacher. Next time, you will remember to focus."

She let her thoughts wander as she cleaned up the table and took off her medical equipment. This had not been the first time Hailey had operated on a live animal, nor had it been her first failure. But it was the first time her own inattention had nearly caused a death. Hailey was young, her ability to shield herself from unwanted attachment was not as bulletproof as that of the older Foundation workers. The fact that she could blame herself for it's condition created a moment of emotional attachment to the pig. But just as quickly as the connection came, it was washed away along with her guilt. Right now, she couldn't view the pig as anything more than an object she failed in fixing.

Hailey considered this learned ability of suppressing attachment to be both a blessing and a curse. She knew it would be impossible for her to stay sane without it, but at the same time a part of her wanted to feel emotions like a normal person. Like her human friends. Ron, Hermione and Neville could never watch an animal die so callously. She usually liked being abnormal, but emotions were supposed to be a universal constant. It made her feel evil to know that she could just switch her humanity off and on like that.

"Is the blood gone?" Alice interrupted. She had resorted to covering her eyes for the last part of the surgery. "I am really regretting coming here. You didn't tell me your medical lessons would be so bloody!"

"I've cleaned most of the blood away now," Hailey answered her friend. "You can open your eyes."

In retrospect, Hailey should have made sure the bindings on the pig were more secure. When Alice opened her eyes, the first thing they instinctively sought were the black eyes of the animal on the table. All she wanted to do was to check that the blood was gone, instead Alice found herself making eye contact with Hailey's patient.

The pig squealed in anger, wriggling itself from the bindings too quickly for Louis or Hailey to react despite the wound in its side. Black eyes burned with a crazed hatred as the pig bounded towards Alice, snarling through the pain of it's injury.

Before it could reach the target of it's hatred, the animal collapsed like a puppet with cut strings, coming to a sliding stop at Alice's feat. Hailey didn't have to check to know the animal was dead.

"Oh not again," Alice moaned. "I'm sorry guys, I made eye contact with it."

"It's quite alright, young one. The body is fresh, it can still be used for research," Louis assured, collecting the body and placing it back on the table. "I guess that concludes our lesson."

"See you next week, Louis!" Hailey shouted, wrapping her arms around him.

"_SCP-053 and SCP-5536, please exit the containment unit," _the intercom blared.

"Bye Louis, it was nice meeting you. Sorry again for killing your patient," Alice apologised as both girls waved goodbye to doctor. Hailey grabbed Alice's hand and disappeared in an explosion of blue light.

* * *

They reappeared outside the containment unit. Alice had to be caught by Hailey to prevent her from falling over.

"Why can't they just let us leave through the door like normal people?" Alice grumbled as she regained her balance.

"I think they believe it's safer if they keep the doors shut and make us teleport out," Hailey theorised. "I'm not complaining, it's the first time I've been able to teleport all week without the fear of throwing up."

They picked themselves up and began walking to Alice's containment unit. Two guards trailed far behind the girls, keeping out of range of Alice's abilities.

"So how is this Hogwarts place? Made any new friends I ought to know about?" Alice asked.

"Well there's Hermione, my cousin who I've told you about. Then there's Ron and Neville, my two new friends. Ron's nice, funny and smart, though he'll definitely deny it. Neville is shy but is very caring. Both of them are really good people."

"Oo, Hailey has some guy-friends! Are they cute?" Alice giggled, but it seemed slightly forced.

"They're just friends, Alice," Hailey insisted, blushing slightly at what her friend was implying. "Besides, I'm 11. Way too young for any of that."

The two girls glanced at each other and smiled. It really had been too long since they'd had the chance to hang out together. They walked together in companionable silence before Alice decided to break it.

"What is it like out there, with all those people?" Alice blurted suddenly with wide and hopeful eyes that made Hailey's heart break.

If there was anybody who deserved her selective empathy, it was Alice. With the exception of brief moments with her researcher Dr Williams, Alice had never experienced proper human interaction until she met Hailey. For the first 8 years of her life Alice was utterly starved for human contact, the only constant source of comfort being weekly visits of SCP-999 just to keep her from succumbing to depression. It made Hailey's own upbringing with the Dursleys seem heavenly by comparison.

"Most of them are too star-struck and annoying to be friends with just because I killed the leader of magical ISIS, through no prowess or skill of my own," Hailey recounted, deliberately exaggerating the bad parts in an attempt to make her friend feel better about not being able to go. "The others are really mean to either me or my friends. Apparently there is some kind of magical hierarchy in the Wizarding World and people born to non-anomalous parents like Hermione are at the bottom. Ron and Neville's families are called traitors because they stick up for people like Hermione."

"That's awful! Surely there is something good about being at Hogwarts?"

They paused their conversation for Hailey to teleport them into Alice's containment unit now that they were in range. Her friend collapsed onto her pink bed sheets and tapped a spot next to her, asking Hailey to sit down.

"Some of the lessons are interesting, but the Foundation has way cooler ones. Honestly, Hogwarts is kinda overrated," Hailey insisted as she sat down next to Alice.

"I know what you're doing, Hailey. When you were with Louis, you couldn't stop talking about how exciting it was going to this school. You don't have to pretend it's awful because of me," Alice sighed, letting herself flop limply onto the bed. "I know I'll never be able to have a normal life. But what kind of friend would I be if I resented that you've been given the opportunity?"

Hailey twisted herself until she was looking directly at her friend. She reached out to grab Alice's hand and give it a squeeze like Hermione had done for her earlier that week.

"Alice, I'm an abnormality too. And no matter what happens, I'll always want my best friend in my life. So if I get to have a normal life you are sure as hell are going to be right there with me!" Hailey promised with watery eyes.

"That's nice Hailey, but we both know why I'll never get the chance. You're anomalous because you have cool powers like teleportation and those love-bonds you can create. I have a curse that makes it impossible to be around others without causing them to become homicidal and die trying to kill me," Alice sobbed, burying her head in a pillow. "How can I ever be normal if I kill everything that comes near me?"

Hailey let go of Alice's hand to bring her into a tearful hug. She stroked her fingers through her friend's brown hair, letting Alice cry into her shoulder.

"I have faith that the Foundation will figure some way around that. I'm proof that it's possible to be immune to your abilities. How about your meditation training? Last I heard you managed to get calm enough for somebody to spend an hour around you!"

"So I get one hour to be around people, provided they don't touch or look at me and I manage to keep perfectly calm for that long? Why can't anything just be easy for me!?"

Alice was now sobbing into Hailey's chest, soaking her shirt with tears. She wailed and tightened her grip on Hailey, who was now holding Alice close to her as of trying to leach the sadness away.

A sudden feeling of rage washed over Hailey, but she resisted it. The last thing Alice needed right now was for the only person she thought completely immune to her abilities attacking her. Alice was emotionally distraught, in this state even Hailey could be affected.

"It's progress! Four years ago I could barely teleport 30 metres, now I am getting close to 800. This calming program has only been running for a year. One day you could have full control over your abilities just like me. You're a good person Alice, with so much to offer anybody lucky enough to be your friend. It would be a crime against God for you to spend your life alone."

Alice didn't say anything, she just kept crying into Hailey's shoulder. The two girls held each other for another hour, before Alice's cries faded and she succumbed to exhaustion, falling asleep in Hailey's arms. She laid Alice down gentle on the bed, tucking her in the way Achilles did for her when she was younger.

"_Hailey, can you come outside please?" _a familiar voice whispered quietly from the speaker in the corner of the room. Hailey ducked into Alice's small bathroom to teleport away, to make sure the bright light didn't wake her.

Outside Alice's containment unit, Hailey was caught by a pair of strong arms that wrapped around her stomach.

"That was a good thing you did in there, muffin," Achilles praised, using his pet name for her. "I'm very proud of you."

She could just make out the face of her father in the dim light of the corridor. The lights of the humanoid containment sector would get brighter and dimmer throughout the day to simulate day and night. It was a half-hearted attempt to make the area feel more natural. But right now, Hailey didn't care about that. Instead, she returned her father's embrace.

"Thanks dad. How long have you been here?"

"Oh, I arrived a few minutes after you. But I didn't want to interrupt. Alice looked like she really needed you to herself."

Hailey broke out of the hug and sat down on the floor, motioning for Achilles to do the same.

"Dad, do you ever think Alice could live a normal life?"

"I wish I knew. Lizzy says that emotional control could help extend the time people can spend around her, but there is no guarantee that Alice will ever master her ability," Achilles confessed, causing Hailey's smile to falter. "But she is looking into another method of controlling Alice's anomalous effects."

"I hope you're not sharing classified information, Akil. I could get into a lot of trouble if our supervisors found out I shared that with you," a female voice accused playfully from the darkness. Hailey could barely make out a pale woman with shoulder-length blonde hair standing further down the dark hallway dressed in a simple white blouse and brown skirt. But hope blossomed in her chest once she recognised the woman. If anybody had a way to help Alice, it would be Dr Elizabeth Williams. She was the closest thing her friend had to a parent.

"Good evening, Elizabeth" Achilles greeted the woman. "What are you doing up so late."

"I came to comfort Alice. The sensors in her containment unit picked up heightened distress levels," Dr Williams replied. "But it would seem that your daughter beat me to it. I must thank you for that, Hailey."

"Is it true Ms Williams? Can you really help Alice?" Hailey asked. Her green eyes were wide and full of hope, staring right into the Dr Williams' blue ones.

"Yes Hailey, we are looking into something. It's highly classified, only people directly involved with SCP-053 know what the plan is. I had to fight the O5 Council for permission to do this. There is no guarantee it will work and it comes with a lot of risks. I would ask that you don't mention any of this to Alice. If it fails…" she trailed off, letting the last sentence hang in the air.

"Now muffin, it's getting late. You should get to bed," Achilles insisted. "I will walk you to your room."

"Um, dad, is it alright if I sleep in Alice's room tonight? I don't want her to wake up and find I'm not there."

"I suppose that's a question for Ms Williams, isn't it?" Achilles said, nodding pointedly at the still standing woman.

"Can I Ms Williams?" Hailey pleaded.

"Well I suppose so. Alice will be emotionally fragile now, it would be good for her to have you around," Ms Williams agreed after sharing a brief look with Achilles.

"Thank you thank you!" Hailey gushed, teleporting to wrap her arms around her legs. She then turned back to Achilles.

"Good night, dad!"

"Good night, muffin. Have a nice sleepover. I'll be here to collect you in the morning."

She kissed him goodnight and teleported into Alice's room, pulling out the spare mattress they kept for situations like this and collapsing into it. A small part of her realised that she'd forgotten to talk with Achilles about her nightmare, but she decided that it could wait until tomorrow. For now, Hailey had other things to ponder. Whatever it was that Dr Williams was planning, she prayed it would work. Alice had suffered alone for too long. If this worked, she could be one step closer to realising her dream of living a normal life surrounded by friends and family.

Hailey drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a world where all her friends could come meet Alice, and she'd never feel lonely again.

* * *

"Hailey, wake up!" Alice shouted, shaking her friend out of her slumber.

"Alice? What time is it?" Hailey murmured as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"It's 7, the Foundation wants you back at that school in an hour."

"Oh, I must have overslept. Long night I guess," Hailey groaned. She got up out of bed and shook out her tangled hair.

"I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. You must think I'm such an emotional mess," Alice apologised, looking down at her feet in shame.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, that's just what friends do. Besides, you weren't the only thing person I was talking with last night. After you fell asleep dad called me and I met up with him and Dr Williams outside."

Alice giggled melodically, smiling for the first time in days.

"And how did that go? Were they acting _friendly_ with each other," she hinted, referencing their age-old campaign to set their respective head researchers and parental figures up with one another.

"They have cute nicknames for each other! Dad called her "Lizzy" and Dr Williams called him "Akil". The only person I know who are close enough to call him that is his sister," Hailey gushed, grinning excitedly.

"See? I knew they would be perfect together!" her friend beamed, looking like the perfect image of childhood happiness. Alice's happy smile could melt even the coldest hearts.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you. So, when do you get your wings, Cupid?" Hailey laughed playfully. She didn't truly know if her father and Dr Williams were romantically involved, she'd let him tell her on his own time, but it made her happy to see Alice happy. Hailey suspected that her friend compensated for her inability to form relationships by trying to create relationships between other people. If that made Alice feel just a tiny bit happier, it was fine with her.

"When I get my best friend a boyfriend of her own, of course!" Alice giggled, pretending to draw back a bow and shoot her in the heart with an imaginary arrow. Hailey feigned collapsing back on the bed in pain. "Now you really should be leaving, you've got a lot of friends and cute boys to meet at Hogwarts!"

Hailey got back up off the bed, doubling over with laughter. Alice soon joined her, laughing like she didn't cry herself to sleep just a few hours ago. The room seemed a bit brighter now, both girls could almost forget what happened yesterday.

"Well I shouldn't keep them waiting," Hailey joked. "Seriously though, promise me you'll take care of yourself, OK? I'll be back next week hopefully."

She pulled Alice into a hug, holding her for a few seconds longer than necessary, but neither of them were complaining.

"I promise! It was nice seeing you again, Hailey. Love you!"

"I love you too, and I hope you never forget that."

Hailey pulled out of the hug and gave Alice one last smile before teleporting away. When the blue light faded, Alice was left alone in a containment unit that now seemed just a bit more lifeless and empty without her friend near her. She sighed and collapsed back into bed, listening to the faint hum of the facility.

* * *

Site 19's lower levels were quite possibly the greatest technological achievement of the SCP Foundation to date. Using highly classified and anomalous technology, a small bubble of existence was forced to exist simultaneously at multiple locations, only able to be accessed from 7 different Foundation facilities spread across the planet, designated Site 19-A through to Site 19-G. This uncertain region of space, designated Site 19-H by the Foundation, was lauded as the perfect macro-containment unit. There were 7 ways in, but only one way out. If you tried to leave Site 19-H through any means but a highly experimental quantum tunnelling device, every atom of your body would be violently torn apart and scattered across the observable universe. This small area housed some of the most dangerous and destructive anomalies known to mankind, things that the Foundation would fight tooth and nail to keep locked away from the world. At any point in time, the quantum state this facility existed in could be manually collapsed, deleting Site 19-H and everything held within from existence.

It was also the place Hailey Mardas called home.

Right now she was waiting patiently with Achilles at Site 19-E (located deep in the frozen wastelands of Greenland) standing in awe before four titanic curved metal pillars covered in runes that hung over a deep bowl-shaped hole, forming a sphere. The whole device was at least 10 metres across. In the centre of the sphere, a small ball of light floated gracefully. Workers scrambled to connect thick electrical cables to the wall and flick activation switches to prepare the device for use. Light from massive flood lights on the ceiling cast strange shadows on the machines and vehicles all carefully parked in the hanger.

This room contained the Foundation's first ever Spatial Dislocation Device (SDD), a bleeding-edge piece of magitech capable of transporting a person to any matching device at the push of a button. The Foundation was kind enough to let Hailey use the only existing pairs of SDDs to go back and forth between Hogwarts (along any cargo the Foundation needed sent between Europe and the United States). Which was fitting, considering Hailey helped build the damn thing. Or at least her anomalous ability did. The Spatial Dislocation Device was originally based on the Floo Networks used by the Wizarding World. Using a complex fusion of technology derived from SCP-1290, magical enchantments and research into Hailey's own anomalous ability, the Foundation created a method to easily travel large distances. The O5 Council had already approved for more SDDs to be built across the world.

Hailey watched in awe as bolts of electricity jumped from the pillars to the ball of light in the centre of the device. With each bolt, the light expanded until it reached it almost touched the pillars keeping the ball contained. Runes lining the pillars ignited in vibrant green flames (which reminded Hailey of the green fires at the Ministry of Magic), halting the light's expansion and focusing the image in the light enough for her to see the other side of the portal. She could just make out a grey sky and snow-capped mountains on the other side.

"_The Spatial Dislocation Device is ready for use. All personnel, please stand clear."_

Hailey and Achilles ducked out of the way as a convoy of massive freight truck rumbled down the hanger. The trucks didn't even pause before driving straight through the portal and disappearing. Achilles held her hand and joined an orderly line of scientists and workers walking through the portal after the trucks had passed. An icy gust of wind blew snow through her hair as they approached, forcing many Foundation personnel to shield their eyes. When they got to the portal Hailey closed her eyes and let Achilles guide her through, feeling a sharp tug on her spatial senses when they crossed the edge of the portal and she stepped out onto the tarmac of Area 192.

When Dumbledore told her he was going to apparate her to a nearby Foundation facility, she didn't expect it to be so beautiful. An inch of snow covered the ground, crunching under her shoes. Small concrete buildings were scattered around the facility, dwarfed by the picturesque Scottish mountains that loomed over them. Snowflakes swirled around her stocking-covered legs, carried by the cold breeze that made her hair stand on end. Her father directed her away from the line of people and onto a winding concrete trail that took them far from the rest of the facility. They passed large artillery pieces, each trained on the small building in front of them. The Foundation clearly didn't trust the wizards to not abuse this small gap in their anti-apparition wards.

"You must be enjoying yourself," Achilles said from next to her. She smiled and nodded in agreement. Ever since the Foundation had let her go outside during the Montanan winter, she had fallen in love with the snow. Hailey was a firm believer that there was no better type of weather than snow.

She pondered just teleporting them both into the room, but decided against it. Hailey rarely got the chance to just enjoy nature, and she didn't want to cut it short. A ten minute walk in the snow with her father would be nice, she wouldn't get to see him for another week. She realised she had yet to tell him about what happened on her first night at Hogwarts. But despite how much the nightmare had terrified her, nothing had happened since to indicate it was anything but a one-time thing. Compared to what Alice had gone through yesterday, Hailey felt kind of childish worrying over something as simple as a bad dream. She didn't want the Foundation thinking she was unstable and taking her out of Hogwarts. Besides, Achilles had better things to spend his time on than a bad dream.

"Is something bothering you Hailey?" Achilles asked as he opened the door to the small cabin. He could see that she was thinking very hard about something. Was she really that obvious?

"No dad, I'm just thinking about what Hogwarts is going to have us doing this week," she lied. He raised his eyebrow at her, clearly not entirely buying her story.

"If there's something you want to tell me, I'll listen to you. I'm your dad, it's my job," Achilles offered. He waited for Hailey to respond, but she remained silent. "OK then, I won't press further. You can tell me whenever you feel comfortable."

The hurt in his hazel eyes almost made Hailey spill out every detail of her nightmare to him, but she held her tongue. It was the best for everyone. Achilles was an amazing father, but he would always worry about her. If she told him about her dream, he would spend the next week frantically researching every possible cause. She didn't want to put him through that.

"Oh, there was something I was supposed to give to you," Achilles said, handing her a small wrapped package from one of the pockets on his snow jacket. "Open this when you're alone in the dormitories."

A crack reverberated through the room, causing Hailey to almost drop the package in shock. She caught it before it could hit the ground and stuffed it in her pocket then turned to address the Headmaster.

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore."

"Ah, good morning to you too, Hailey," Dumbledore greeted her with a friendly smile. "And you must be her father?"

"That would be correct," Achilles confirmed.

"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm the Headmaster of Hogwarts," he said as he shook Achilles' hand.

"Achilles Mardas," her father replied, nodding politely to the Professor. "I trust you will keep my daughter safe at your school?

"I assure you, Hogwarts is perfectly safe. We will take good care of her," Dumbledore reassured, smiling honestly at her father.

"That's good to hear," Achilles hummed. He turned away and kneeled down to Hailey's eye level, gently holding both of her dainty hands in his larger tanned ones.

"I want to see you here next week in one piece, OK? Whatever it is that's bothering you, just remember that you have me supporting you no matter what."

"Thanks dad. I'll be here next week," she promised. They exchanged hugs and goodbyes before Hailey accepted Dumbledore's hand and apparated back to Hogwarts with him. They appeared with a crack atop the Astronomy Tower, Hailey easily recovering from the apparition. It was certainly different to her teleportation, but it still felt the same.

"Now, you should rejoin your friends. I believe if you hurry, you might catch breakfast," Dumbledore smiled at her. She grinned back at him and raced down the tower, eager to see Hermione, Ron and Neville again.

* * *

Hailey might have been less eager to see her friends again if she knew how much they were going to question her. In retrospect, it was pretty stupid to assume she would be able to avoid this, she did basically just leave without warning after breakfast on Saturday. Ron especially seemed particularly curious about where she had gone to.

"So what were you doing that required you to leave school for a night?" Ron asked as he picked at a piece of bacon absentmindedly. There was an accusatory tone in his voice, but he was scanning her over like he was looking for an injury. Neville was just looking at her like he was relieved she hadn't left them.

"I had some business to attend to back at home. Remember how I told you the magical community I live with in Montana don't like outsiders? Well they conduct a weekly ritual for protection over the village, and I'm required to attend. Professor Dumbledore apparated me out of the school." she explained, glad Ron couldn't detect her lies as easily as Hermione. Then again, what she told him was pretty close to the truth.

"It's true, I've seen them do it," Hermione added after noticing Ron's skeptical look.

"I'm sorry I left so quickly, next time I'll give you more warning," Hailey apologised to both Ron and Neville before he could question her further.

"Well make sure you do. Neville and I were bloody worried!" he shouted, looking at her with a serious look in his blue eyes. "But I'm glad to have you back mate, school's not as fun when you're not around!"

The four friends laughed, falling into the same patterns as before Hailey had left. Though she noticed happily that Ron and Hermione seemed to talk more freely with one another. They were a long way from friends, but it was progress! That night, Hailey retired early to the dormitories to examine the package Achilles had given her. Carefully, she unwrapped the brown paper.

A small polaroid camera rested on the palm of her hand. A small note was taped to it, which she tore off to read.

_1: Find a concealed spot someplace you can easily access that will not be discovered by others_

_2: Use the included camera to take a photo of this spot, making sure there is at least 30cm of space in front of the camera. _

_3: Make sure that nothing obstructs this spot._

_4: Return the camera next week_

_5: Check this spot periodically_

_6: Burn this note_

So they wanted to use Iris' ability to communicate and send her things secretly? Clever, whoever wrote this letter managed to tell her exactly what the Foundation was intending to do without mentioning them or SCP-105.

She took out the camera and laid down on the floor. The space under her bed was being used for storing her trunks, but if she positioned them right she could leave a space in the middle free for her to use. Crawling under her bed, Hailey pulled out the camera and snapped a few pictures for good measure.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked from above her. Hailey scrambled out from under the bed but signed with relief when she realised it was only Hermione. She was holding the Foundation's note in her hand which Hailey guiltily realised she had left on her bed.

"I needed to do something for the Foundation. You know Iris, right? She has the ability to look at photographs and see what is happening at the place where the photograph was taken or even reach through and touch objects in the photo. So the Foundation is going to use that to allow us to communicate. They'll pass notes or something through the photo and I'll reply by hanging up small notes they can read."

"Oh, that sounds useful. Would you like me to get rid of the note for you?" Hermione offered, placing the note on the stone floor. She pointed her wand at the piece of paper, not waiting for Hailey to respond.

"Ignis Aqeria!" she shouted, incinerating the note in a burst of blue fire.

"Wow Hermione, that was really cool! What spell was that?"

"Bluebell Flames. I learnt it over the weekend," Hermione answered, blushing slightly from the praise.

"Do you think you could teach me that? I'll need to know how to destroy the notes I get sent." Hailey pleaded, giving Hermione her best puppy-dog eyes.

"Wait, really? Sure! I'll be happy to help you!" Hermione agreed. She noticed that Hermione seemed very pleased that Hailey had agreed to let her teach her something.

She launched right into the lesson, eagerly demonstrating the wand movement and the correct pronunciation of the words. Hailey mimicked her movements carefully. She had to admit, her cousin was a remarkably good teacher. Hailey had managed to produce a small controlled fire in only an hour of practice, before the arrival of Lavender and Parvati forced them to stop. The four girls talked amongst themselves for a while before one-by-one they each crawled into bed. The moment Hailey's head touched the pillow, she fell into a peaceful sleep.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is shorter than usual, I had a lot of things to do this week. The Foundation scenes took longer than I anticipated, so I didn't have time to write the flying lesson scenes like I wanted to. **

**One thing I hadn't really addressed yet was Hailey's character flaws. She was raised differently from Harry, it follows that she would have a different personality and thus flaws. Hailey's upbringing in the Foundation helped her grow out of the impulsivity earlier than Harry, but also caused her to develop new flaws. Mainly the ability to switch off her empathy. Most of her friends are killers and I'm not going to skim over that. This isn't to say that she is a psychopath, her relationship with her friends show that she is a very empathetic person. But for people Hailey doesn't know or considers evil, she would find it very hard to feel empathy towards them if she doesn't choose to. This selective empathy also comes with a secondary flaw: Hailey often views herself as evil. She is aware of her flaw but knows that if she felt empathy like a normal person she would be consumed by guilt, so she will not attempt to conquer that flaw. But this makes her feel even worse because she views this as selfish. Expect this secondary flaw to play a part in any future romantic relationships. **

**And if this chapter didn't make it clear, Alice (SCP-053) is going to be a main character. I think I did an alright job characterising her. **

**Hoodedgenius98: Hailey isn't an animagus. Sorry, but I don't want to suddenly introduce a power now and be all like "oh yeah she had this all along". **

**Pinks99: Yeah thanks for that, I fixed up the typos now. **

**Yukine-ren: Thanks for keeping it to yourself, I appreciate it. If you want to confirm your theory you can PM me. **

**PasiveNox: Cheers for sticking around. **

**Fast Frank: I wouldn't know. I'm playing around with the idea of Hailey and the SCP Foundation going full Ghostbusters on Peeves and Binns. Who you gonna call? The Foundation!**

**Guest01: Cain. He can't be injured while Able can be sent back to his box. Able probably tries to stab Cain but the injury is transferred back to Able because of Cain's anomalous ability. **

**DodemGM: Thanks, I'll definitely be including more of Draco's interactions with the group next chapter. He's going to play a big part in this story. I've fixed the McGonagall line now, along with a few other errors. The chapter should make more sense now. **

**Once we get to the fourth book, the actual main antagonist is going to become a far more present threat. **

**That Neville idea is pretty good actually. I think I might be able to come up with a good basis behind that scene using something similar to this. **

**That could work. But there wouldn't be much Hailey and Hermione could tell the Foundation that Dumbledore couldn't tell better. Instead I'm going to have them both capturing artefacts for the Foundation instead. The Philosopher's Stone would make a nice SCP. **

**Good idea. I already have plans to include the Groups of Interest in the fanfic. The Chaos Insurgency won't play a big part in the main plot, but certain other Groups of Interest such as the Global Occult Coalition, Horizon Initiative, OBSKURA and groups associated with the main antagonist will. That isn't to say the Chaos Insurgency won't play a part, but they won't play a big one. And yeah, they have wizards working for them. Pretty much every Group of Interest does in this alternate world. **


	10. Chapter 9: A Discovery

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners. **

Hailey didn't honestly think she had ever loathed another human being more than she loathed Draco Malfoy. Everything about him seemed to irritate her, from his arrogant smirk to the way he played with her emotions every time they met. At least with Theodore Nott, she knew where she stood with him. But with Malfoy, there were rare moments when he was almost decent which made the parts where he was awful even worse. It would have been easier for her if he was just awful all the time. He always seemed to know exactly how to infuriate her. Mercifully, she only had to endure Potions with the Slytherins. Or at least that was the case until they all read the notice hung in the Gryffindor common room. Flying lessons began on Thursday, and they would be learning with the Slytherins.

"Great," Hermione groaned. "I'll get to make a fool out of myself in front of Nott and Malfoy."

Ron read the notice and shrugged. "You don't know you'll make a food of yourself. They say that they're good at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."

The Slytherins certainly did talk about flying a lot. Malfoy complained loudly about first-years never getting in the house Quidditch team and told long, boastful and definitely fabricated stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggle helicopters. Nott tried to top that by saying he dodged a passenger plane (though she didn't think even the Slytherins believed him). Too bad neither of them decided to fly around a Foundation site, it might have given the Mobile Task Forces a bit of a laugh.

Though she had to be fair to the Slytherins, they weren't the only ones exchanging stories about their exploits on the broom. The way Lavender Brown talked you'd think she'd been flying through the forests around her family home her whole life. Even Ron would tell anybody who asked how he narrowly avoided being hit by a hang-glider on Charlie's old broom. Hailey herself couldn't resist a bit of boasting either, and told her friends the story of when she flew around the mountains of Alaska during a snowstorm, though she left out the Foundation drones that were following her. Neville, however, had no stories to tell. His grandmother had never let him near a broom his whole life. He had privately admitted to them he was very nervous about flying.

The only person anywhere near as nervous as Neville was Hermione. Hailey knew it infuriated her cousin to no end that you couldn't learn how to fly just from a book, though she had certainly tried. Over breakfast, Hermione had spent most of breakfast reciting tips on how to fly from to Neville from a book called _Quidditch through the Ages, _while Hailey and Ron tuned her out to discuss Quidditch. Hailey didn't honestly understand what was so impressive about British Quidditch. She'd debated endlessly with Ron over breakfast that American-rules Quidditch was a far better game, though he wasn't having any of it.

Ron tapped the table angrily. "How can you Americans even call that game Quidditch if it doesn't even have a seeker?"

"Why would you even want a seeker? Ending the game with a set time limit means you don't have to be disappointed by short games or wait weeks for one game to end!" Hailey said with an indignant huff, raising her arms in frustration.

"But that's part of the fun! Plus it gives teams more strategic options, like whether to focus on scoring points with the Quaffle or going after the Snitch. American-rules Quidditch is just British Quidditch if there were only chasers."

Hermione looked over the top of her book angrily at the bickering duo. "Is there any real difference between them?"

Ron and Hailey both gasped in shock. How could Hermione even compare British Quidditch to American Quidditch? They were obviously completely different!

"How can even say such a thing?" Ron cried, placing his hand over his chest with exaggerated outrage.

"They are completely different games! Here, I'll show you," Hailey said. She tore out a piece of paper from her notebooks and drew a small Quidditch field on the paper. "American Quidditch has 8 players and 2 Quaffles while British Quidditch has-"

Hermione groaned in frustration and buried her head in her arms to try and drown out all the Quidditch talk. Hailey droned on, completely oblivious to Hermione's disinterest. The arrival of the mail caused Hermione to smile widely for a small break in Hailey and Ron's lecture.

Owls swooped in through holes in the ceiling, dropping letters and small parcels onto the students. Hailey so far had only received one letter, the one from Hagrid the previous week. Nobody she knew back home trusted the wizarding system of delivering mail. She watched as a large barn owl swooped low over the Gryffindor table and dropped a small wrapped box into Neville's hands.

"Look, Neville's got a package!" Hermione said, desperate to shift the topic to something other than sport. Neville opened the small package and pulled out a glass ball that seemed to be full of white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" he said. "Gran knows I can be forgetful- this thing tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. If you hold it tight like this and it turns red - oh…" his face fell as the white smoke in the ball began to turn scarlet. "... you've forgotten something. But I can't remember what it is I've forgotten!"

Hailey had heard about this particular magical object. She once got to help the Foundation test these on SCP-055 but then… wait, what was she thinking about? Oh yeah, flying lessons later today.

* * *

After the final period of their lessons on Thursday, Hailey and Ron hurried down the front steps and onto the grounds, eager for their first flying lesson. For the first time ever, Hermione was the one left trailing behind with Neville. They were both less than enthusiastic about this lesson. It was an overcast day, the sky was dark grey and there was a cold wind blowing small droplets of water through their hair. Walking through the damp grass of the grounds left her shoes feeling wet and cold. In short, it was a beautiful day. At least according to Hailey.

The ten Slytherin students were already there, along with twenty broomsticks lying in neat little lines along the ground. Hailey waited patiently behind the line of brooms for their teacher to arrive, chatting amicably with her friends until the students suddenly gasped and pointed to the sky.

Madam Hooch was flying down from the tower on her broomstick like a hawk, swooping low over the trees and towers. She landed gracefully in front of them with a flourish and placed her broom gently on the ground. Some of the students cheered, but they were silenced by a stern look from the teacher.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand next to a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

She stood next to Ron, behind an old battered broom. It was clearly due for a touch of polish and some of the twigs stuck out at old angles.

"Stick your preferred hand over the broom and say 'up!'" Madam Hooch said.

Hailey placed her hand directly above her broom confidently. "Up!"

The broom leaped obediently into her hand immediately. Turning around, she realised that her broom was one of the few that was in the air. Hermione's broom had only rolled over on the ground and Neville's hadn't moved at all, but Ron's had leapt up a foot before falling back down. Over by the Slytherins, Malfoy smirked at her, eyes alight with mirth and a broom floating in his hands. They waited a few minutes for everyone's brooms to jump up into their hands before Madam Hooch showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end. She carefully examined each one of them to make sure their grips were correct.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," Madam Hooch instructed. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle - three- two -"

But Neville, nervous and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before Madam Hooch could blow the whistle. He floated upwards uncontrollably, clutching the broom tightly to his chest and screaming for help.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rapidly gaining height. He cried out in terror as his broom lurched to the side, hitting the castle walls hard and causing him to lose his grip. For Hailey, it was like Neville was falling in slow motion, though he was only a few seconds away from impacting the ground. His body was limb, falling like a ragdoll towards the hard ground below.

Time reasserted itself as Hailey leapt into the sky, followed closely by Ron. They managed to reach Neville before he hit the ground, catching his flailing hands with only a fraction of a second to spare. But the sudden weight pulled them down sharply, causing Ron's left shoulder to pop and twist in an odd direction. They managed to slow down their descent just enough, but they still hit the ground hard. Hailey fell to the side, landing roughly on her arm while Ron and Neville rolled across the ground with a nasty crack sound, coming to a stop on the wet grass. They all moaned in pain.

"Back, back away all of you!" Madam Hooch ordered. She bent over the trio, carefully checking them for injuries. Besides from a slight bruise on her shoulder, Hailey was uninjured. Ron and Neville were not so lucky.

"Broken wrist and a dislocated shoulder," their teacher muttered. "Come on, boys- up you get," she turned back to the rest of the class. "None of you are to move while I take these two to the hospital wing! You feet leave the ground and you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'!"

Ron gave her a half-hearted wave with his uninjured arm as he helped Neville climb the hill back to the school. No sooner was Madam Hooch out of earshot did the Slytherins begin to laugh.

"Did you see big one's face?" Malfoy sniggered, causing Pansy Parkinson to laugh hysterically.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Parvati snapped.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" Pansy said. "Never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Parvati."

I should feed her to SCP-682, Hailey thought darkly.

"Look!" Nott shouted, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbotton's gram sent him!"

He held the Remembrall high above his head triumphantly.

"Give it back, Nott. That's not yours," Hermione said, holding her hand out expectantly. Everybody had stopped talking now, and were observing Hermione and Nott intensely.

"You think I'm going to listen to you, _Granger_," Nott spat her name out like it was an insult. "I think I'll hide it somewhere for Neville to find, maybe the Whomping Willow?"

"Give it here!" Hailey yelled, but he had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. Nott hovered steadily on the topmost branches of the oak tree and called out to her, "How about you come get it, Potter!"

Hailey reached her hand out towards the row of brooms a few metres away. A few of the nearby students gasped as her broom leaped across the grounds and into her waiting hand. Malfoy was smirking at her in amusement, as if daring her to go up there and confront Nott.

"Don't do it Hailey," Hermione hissed at Hailey, tugging at her robe to get the smaller girl's attention. "Madam Hooch told us to not move, you'll get expelled!"

But Hailey wasn't listening. Blood was pounding in her ears and her vision had taken on a shade of red. She sent Nott a rude gesture with her hand and mounted her broom with confidence, kicking off hard against the ground and souring straight up towards him like a missile. Her green eyes burned in anger and the cold wind blew through her hair. Internally she smirked. Flying was something that came to her as naturally as breathing.

"Give it back!" she shouted, hovering lazily in the air with the ease of an expert.  
"Or I'll knock you off that broom!"

"Try it, Potter!" he sneered, though he looked slightly worried. He clearly hadn't been expecting her to be so confident on a broomstick. Hailey gripped her broom with one hand and shot towards Nott like a javelin. He leapt out of the way, nearly letting go of his broom in an effort to avoid her blow. Turning sharply, Hailey hovered a metre above Nott, who was now clutching the broom tightly to regain his balance. Beneath them, the students were either clapping or booing.

"It's a long way down, Nott," she said, flying in circles a few metres above like a vulture above a dying animal. "How about you hand over the ball before I introduce your face to the ground?"

"How about you catch it?" Nott snarled, throwing the glass ball high into the air and streaking back to the ground to avoid another blow.

The Remembrall could just be made out against the grey sky. Hailey strained her eyes to follow the object flying across the sky, seeing it rise as if it were in slow motion. She shot off towards it like a bullet, pulling her broom into a steep ascent. Rain and wind whistled through her hair and robes as she gained speed, only fueling her drive to succeed. Just as she was about to catch the ball, a black blur shot across her vision, forcing her to sharply turn away to avoid hitting it. Spinning back around, Hailey saw Malfoy rolling the Remembrall between his fingers, looking at her with his grey eyes and classic arrogant smirk.

"That looked like fun, mind if I join in?"

"Give it, Malfoy," Hailey demanded.

He paused, as if carefully considering her offer, though she knew he was just delaying to annoy her. He gave her a brilliant smile and raised his hands as if surrendering, still somehow keeping his broom steady.

"Ok, you win," he said, drawing out every word. He let the Remembrall fall from his raised hands and darted back to the ground, laughing all the way down. Hailey dived down in close persuit, racing against gravity to catch the ball before it landed. The students all screamed as she stretched out her hand, pulling up steeply when she felt the smooth surface of her target only a metre above the ground. She grabbed it and pulled up sharply, narrowly avoiding hitting the ground and landing gracefully before the group of students, the Remembrall held triumphantly above her head.

"HAILEY POTTER!"

Her bubble of euphoria popped instantly. She spun around to see Professor McGonagall running up towards them, a furious expression on her face.

"Never- in all my time at Hogwarts -" Professor McGonagall stuttered, almost speechless with shock and anger. "- how _dare_ you - might have broken your neck"

"It wasn't her fault, Professor -"

"Be quiet, Miss Patil -"

"But Nott and Malfoy-"

"That's _enough_, Miss Granger. Potter, follow me. Now." she ordered.

As she followed Professor McGonagall glumly, she heard some of the Slytherins sniggering. Malfoy was just staring at her with an unreadable expression while Hermione was pale and worried. She turned away from them all glumly and followed her teacher into the castle.

If she got expelled, Achilles would understand. But the Foundation might deem her too unstable to be allowed out of containment. They would ship her back to Site 19 and never let her out again. She'd really blown it this time. And for what, some easily replaceable ball? She clenched her teeth in anger. A part of her wanted to put Nott in Lawrence's femur breaker while Malfoy watched, that'd wipe the smirk from their faces. But no, this was her fault. She had taken their bait.

Hailey trailed miserably behind Professor McGonagall through the twisting corridors. In the back of her mind she was mapping out the path they took, realising that she wasn't being taken to Professor Dumbledore's office or her common room. Did Hogwarts have some other way to expel students?

They stopped in front of a classroom. Professor McGonagall knocked politely on the door and poked her head inside and asked Professor Flitwick for Wood. Was that some kind of cane McGonagall was going to hit her with? She was relieved when Wood turned out to simply be the name of a fifth year student.

""Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood- I think I've found you a seeker."

"Are you serious, Professor?" Wood shouted, his puzzled expression changing to delight and then to embarrassment when he realised who he was shouting at. But Professor McGonagall didn't seem to notice.

"Absolutely. The girl's a natural. She caught that ball in her hand after a fifty foot dive. Didn't even scratch herself. Don't think Charlie Weasley could have pulled that off," she told him proudly. Hailey tilted her head in confusion, eyes darting from the 5th year boy and the Professor. Were they really giving her a position on the Quidditch team?

Wood was now looking at her with an awed expression, making Hailey slightly uncomfortable.

"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked.

"Only some American Quidditch League games."

"Bah! We'll get you playing proper Quidditch soon enough"

"Oliver Wood is the captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team," Professor McGonagall explained. "I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can bend the first-year rule. Make no mistake, Miss Potter, I am very disappointed in you. But Gryffindor needs a better team desperately. I couldn't look at Professor Snape for weeks…" she stared down at Hailey sternly over he glassed. "You'll also be seeing me in my office every Friday afternoon for the next three weeks, you did break school rules after all. But I want to see you training hard, otherwise I might change my mind about being so lenient."

Professor McGonagall turned to leave, walking down the corridor in her stiff but graceful manner before she turned back around. Hailey could've sworn there was a ghost of a smile on her face.

"Your father would have been very proud. He was an excellent Quidditch player."

* * *

"Ridiculous!" Hermione shouted. "McGonagall gave you a position on the Quidditch team for breaking school rules?

They were all sitting around the table for dinner. Hailey had just finished recounting to Hermione what happened after she left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Hermione was spluttering incoherently. Professor McGonagall was by far Hermione's favourite teacher, and she was having a hard time believing that she would reward Hailey for breaking rules. She was torn between her disbelief in her teacher's actions and happiness that Hailey wasn't going to be expelled.

"I mean, all I did was fly. In retrospect, I think Madam Hooch was just exaggerating," Hailey reasoned. "If that was all it took to get expelled, do you really think the Weasley Twins would still be here?"

"Not a chance, firsties!" Fred and George shouted from further down the table. They were tinkering with what looked like extremely dangerous or cool fireworks. Knowing them, it was probably both. "Oh, and Wood told us what happened with McGonagall and the flying lessons. We're the beaters for the Gryffindor team, so we get all the news," George explained. "Well done, Hailey. Wood couldn't stop talking about you. We haven't won since Charlie left, with you on our team we might finally win a game!"

"Thanks guys," Hailey yelled over to them then turned back to Hermione and shrugged. "See what I mean?"

"Oh but- well- ...I'm just glad you're OK!" Hermione admitted, pulling Hailey into a bone-breaking hug. "Don't do anything like that again!"

"Alright alright, I'm sorry," Hailey yielded. "But you have to admit, it was pretty funny."

"What was pretty funny?"

They spun around to see Ron walking towards them, his arm hung in a sling.

"Ron! You're here! How's the arm?" Hailey asked. She helped him into the table, making sure to be careful of his injury, but Ron waved her off.

"It's fine. Madam Pomfrey is bloody brilliant, she says we'll be back in the common room before curfew. Neville's hurt worse though, I'm just here to bring him back some dinner."

"That's really kind of you Ron," Hermione commended him. Ron's face flushed slightly at her praise and he turned his head bashfully, breaking eye contact with her.

"Do you think you could give this?" Hailey asked, pulling the Remembrall from her pocket. "You would not believe what I had to do to get that."

"Oh? Is that what you two were laughing about earlier? Ron chuckled as he filled up his plate and beckoned for Hailey to continue. "This should be a good story."

"I agree, Weasley. Because it ends with your little friend here getting expelled," Theodore Nott interrupted from behind them. He was striding confidently towards the Gryffindor table, flanked by Crabbe, Goyle and a large black-haired Slytherin girl none of them could remember the name of. Nott was looking down at Hailey, smirking triumphantly. "Enjoying your last meal before being shipped back to America, Potter? I doubt Ilvermorny will accept Hogwarts rejects!"

"She's not getting expelled. In fact, Professor McGonagall offered her a position on the Quidditch team," Hermione bragged, enjoying the look of shock and anger on the faces of the Slytherins.

Ron's jaw dropped open and he glanced briefly at Hailey with an awed and excited expression. '_Later' _Hailey mouthed to him. He nodded and turned back to the Slytherins.

"Did he ask you to speak, _Granger_?" the Slytherin girl spat at Hermione. The girl took another step closer and sneered down at the smaller witch. Hailey moved in quickly to divert attention away from Hermione.

"You're looking confident, Nott. Where was all this confidence when I nearly knocked you out of the sky?" Hailey goaded, causing his face to turn red.

"You wish, Potter," he scoffed. "I could have beaten you easily."

Hailey giggled and shook her head, causing Nott's teeth to clench violently. "Oh really? How about you go get your broom and I'll give you another go?"

"I've got a better idea. I challenge you to a Wizard's duel! Wands only - no contact. And this time McGonagall won't be around to protect you."

"Fine. Give me a time and a venue. We'll see if you still have that smirk on your face after I'm down with you," Hailey said. She turned back to Ron and Hermione who were both staring at her with shocked expressions. "Either of you want to be my second?"

"I'll do it," Ron offered. "I'll be out of this sling by midnight."

"_Hailey!"_ Hermione hissed, trying to get her attention. "You'll get into trouble again!"

"Fine," Nott said, ignoring Hermione's pleas. "Bulstrode is my second. Be at the trophy room at midnight… or the whole school is going to know that the 'girl who lived' is nothing but a coward."

The Slytherins strode away, leaving Hailey, Ron and Hermione to their dinners. They finished quickly, Hailey amusing Ron with the story about how she had beaten Nott earlier today. Hermione all but pushed them out of the Great Hall, causing Ron to nearly drop the food he was carrying for Neville. She waited until they had left the hall before laying into Hailey.

"What were you thinking?" Hermione demanded. "You accepted a challenge to a _duel_ after curfew! This is breaking so many school rules! You could get yourself killed!"

Ron shook his head. "She's not going to get killed, neither of them know enough magic for that. At best, they'll be shooting sparks at each other, he'll give Hailey a few glares and maybe try hitting her. Which is why I'm there. If he tries to hit her I'll punch him in the nose."

"Well thanks for having my back." Hailey smiled..

"What are you doing Ron? Don't encourage her!" Hermione shouted at the red haired boy.

"Mardas! Can I have a word?" a haughty voice said from behind them. Malfoy was standing at the bottom of the stairs to the great hall, staring at them imperiously.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hailey scowled down at the boy. Had he come to bicker with her again?

"I'm just here to talk with you," Malfoy assured them, giving her his infuriating smirk.

"Whatever it is you have to say, you can say it to all of us."

"It makes no difference," Malfoy shrugged. "I came here to tell you that Nott isn't planning to come to your little duel. He's going to tell Filch where you plan to meet."

"Why should we believe you?" Hermione said, looking at Malfoy accusingly.

"What would I stand to gain from lying?" Malfoy said. He looked over the trio's suspicious faces and sighed. "Let's just say it would benefit the both of us if Theodore's plan didn't succeed. Successfully striking a blow against the girl who lived would earn Theodore a lot of influence. Influence I would rather he didn't have. And I'm sure you would rather not be caught breaking curfew."

"And if we choose to go anyway?" Hailey quips.

"Then the Gryffindors are going to wake up tomorrow wondering where all their points went."

"Very well. We'll heed your advice," Ron said before Hailey or Hermione could say anything else.

Malfoy didn't bother to acknowledge Ron's words. He turned away from them and strode down the stairs to the dungeons while the Gryffindor trio shared confused looks with each other.

"By the way, what stops us from telling the Slytherins you warned us?" Hailey shouted after him, just before he disappeared from view. Malfoy paused and looked over his shoulder to address her.

"Who would ever believe I helped _you_?" Malfoy scoffed, before disappearing around a corner.

The three Gryffindors walked further up the stairs, waiting until they were sure they were far enough to not be overheard before talking again.

"Why did you believe him, Ron?" Hermione hissed at him. "I'd have thought you especially wouldn't have believed anything that came out of Malfoy's mouth. You hate him!"

"It makes sense, OK? Don't get me wrong, Malfoy's a git. But his reasons for helping us make sense," Ron explained. He gestured for the girls to sit on one of the nearby benches with him. "Bill always told me that Slytherins, while they may appear united, compete with each other for dominance over the house. Malfoy and Nott come from old and powerful magical families, they are both contenders for being the ruler of Slytherin house."

Both Hailey and Hermione were listening intently to Ron's every word. The Foundation certainly provided them both with the facts and figures of wizarding Britain, but Ron knew stuff you could only know being raised in it.

"Now in the eyes of Slytherin house, Hailey is our equivalent of Malfoy or Nott. You are a talented witch, come from an old and powerful family and already have an impressive reputation by being the girl who lived and now from humiliating Nott earlier today. As far as they are concerned, you either already are or will become the ruler of Gryffindor. And it would do a lot for a Slytherin's reputation if they struck a blow against the leader of their rival house. So if Nott managed to trick us into getting into trouble, it would boost his standing and chances of being the ruler of Slytherin house."

Hailey stared at Ron with her mouth open in shock. She knew that he was strategically minded, but this analysis was far beyond anything she knew him to be capable of. If Ron had the inclination or ambition, he would make a frighteningly good Slytherin.

"I'm not sure exactly what you're saying," Hermione admitted. "Malfoy clearly hates us, would it not also please him to get us into trouble?"

She looked slightly embarrassed about having to ask Ron for clarification, but Hailey knew that Hermione's drive for understanding would outweigh her embarrassment. Hermione was still learning how to properly read and interact with people, this subtle game of politics went over her head. Even Hailey, who was raised in the secretive SCP Foundation struggled to follow what Ron was saying.

Ron shook his head at Hermione. "Think of it like this: Malfoy and Nott are the two Seekers in a game of Quidditch. Hailey is the Snitch. They both want the Snitch to be caught, but each would rather they caught the Snitch instead of the other person. For Malfoy, not having the Snitch caught is better than the Snitch being caught by Nott because it means that Nott doesn't win 150 points for his 'team'. Malfoy still wants the Snitch to be caught, but only if it's him doing it."

"So the only reason Malfoy warned us is because he wants to be ruler of Slytherin house more than he wants to see us punished?" Hermione finished for him.

"Yeah that's basically it. And if there is one thing you can trust about a Slytherin, it's their ambition. So I think, at least for now, we can trust Malfoy's warning."

"But that means that Malfoy likely has his own plots against us," Hailey pointed out.

"Probably. Malfoy's still a git, and he wants the credit of beating you at something. We're going to have to be cautious around him in the future."

Hermione and Hailey mulled over what Ron had told them as they walked back to the common room, Ron having left them to return to the hospital wing and deliver food back to Neville. Neither of the girls had any idea that there was such a complex web of political rivalries and alliances. Hailey had trouble believing that the Slytherins were already making bids for influence over each other, but now that Ron had laid out his reasoning it all lined up with what she'd seen of the house and the interactions between Nott and Malfoy, though that didn't help with her disbelief. They were all 11, why were Malfoy and Nott already trying to play politician? God, no wonder the Foundation was always so manipulative in the political landscape. If this was what school was like, she didn't want to imagine what people had to deal with in the actual government.

But if this was how Hogwarts operated, Hailey could play that game. The Sorting Hat thought she could thrive in Slytherin, maybe it was time to show the world why.

"Could we use this to our advantage?" Hailey pondered, breaking the silence of the hall.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

Hailey gestured vaguely in the direction of the dungeons.

"The competition between Nott and Malfoy. Could we use it to our advantage?" she repeated. "We've already benefited from their competition. If we could perpetuate this rivalry, make sure that neither of them get a lead over the other, it could allow us to continue to exploit the divide between them. Maintaining the status quo in Slytherin house leaves them leaderless and fighting amongst themselves."

"Now you're starting to sound like Ron," Hermione accused. "Don't start playing this game with the Slytherins, you'll just get us and the house into trouble."

"Alright 'Mione, I'll put that idea into the 'maybe' category."

"That's the best I'm going to get, isn't it?" Hermione sighed. "Whatever you're going to do Hailey, just stay safe, OK? You're my cousin and my closest friend, I care about you. I don't want to see you hurt because you're fighting duels or political battles with the Slytherins."

"Thanks for caring, you're a good friend," Hailey smiled. "And I'm not going to get myself hurt. You'd miss me too much!"

They laughed with each other as they walked into the common room.

* * *

Hailey sat silently on the couch furthest from the fireplace, facing the common room entrance with her legs crossed, still dressed in her school uniform. The cooling embers of the fire and dim starlight shining through the windows cast long shadows in the dark room. The other students had long since gone to bed, leaving Hailey alone in the darkness.

"They should have been here an hour ago."

"Hailey? What are you still doing up?" a voice whispered behind her. Hailey turned to see Hermione standing in the entrance to the girl's dormitories in a pink dressing gown, illuminated by the light of an oil lamp. Apparently Hailey wasn't as alone as she thought.

"Ron and Neville were supposed to have arrived back from the hospital wing before curfew. It's 11:30 now."

"Madam Pomfrey probably just changed her mind and made them stay overnight."

"Maybe, but something tells me they're in danger. Ron would tell us if he had to stay behind with Neville, especially with Nott and Malfoy out for our blood," Hailey paused. "I… I think I might go looking for him."

"Hailey! You can't do that, it's past curfew!" Hermione said.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to. But I'm going. I need to make sure they're OK."

Hailey grabbed her wand out of her pocket and tip-toed quietly to the portrait hole. Just as she had laid her hand on the door handle, Hermione hurried across the room.

"Wait!" she hissed. "I'm coming too, somebody has to watch your back."

"Thanks Hermione," Hailey said, her smile just able to be made out in the gloom. She pushed the portrait hole open and climbed out into the castle. Hermione inhaled deeply before she stepped outside, exhaling when she stepped out into the empty corridor.

"We should follow the most direct path to the hospital wing. If Ron and Neville ran into trouble on the way, we might be able to find them there," Hermione said, pointing down the stairs. But Hailey wasn't listening

"Shush, did you hear that?" Hailey whispered. Both of them strained their ears to hear a faint sniffling.

"Mrs Norris?" breathed Hermione, squinting through the dark for the familiar form of the much hated cat. Instead of a cat, Hermione found a Neville, curled up in a tight ball on the floor, fast asleep. He jerked awake as she reached for him and stumbled to his feet.

"Hermione! Thank goodness you found me! I forgot the password and couldn't-" Before he could finish, Neville was silenced by a hand placed over his mouth.

"It's nice to see you too Neville," Hailey whispered from behind him. "But you have to be quiet. It's past curfew."

"Sorry Hailey."

"Now, have you seen Ron anywhere?" Hermione asked.

Neville tilted his head in confusion. "He's not in the common room?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, we haven't seen him since he left for the hospital wing with your dinner."

"Well, after he came back Madam Pomfrey checked his shoulder and sent him back up to the common room. I thought he would be here with you two?"

"He's not here and he's not in the hospital wing." Hailey whispered. "There is no other place he could realistically be, so that means he must have run into some trouble on the way here."

"We should go see Professor McGonagall," Hermione suggested. "A student is missing, this is a situation that requires a teacher."

Hailey nodded in agreement. "Her office is on the way to the hospital wing, we can search along the way. Neville, would you like to come with us? Fair warning, it could be dangerous."

Neville seemed to shrink in on himself as two pairs of expectant eyes turned towards him. He wrestled between his fear and his loyalty to their missing friend.

"I'll go," he said after a moment of deliberation, clenching his teeth in grim determination . "Ron is my friend too. I want to help find him."

Hailey smiled at the fearful boy. She knew it took a lot of courage for him to agree to come with them, and was proud that he was learning to be brave and face his fears. He was in Gryffindor, there had to be some bravery under his shy exterior.

"Thanks Neville. I know this is difficult for you, but I appreciate that you've agreed to come with us. Now we should be going, I don't want to wait here for something to find us."

They crept through the corridors, guided by the light of the moon from the high windows and Hailey's anomalous sense of direction. Hailey stalked from shadow to shadow, sweeping each room, corridor and staircase for anything that could help her find her friend. An object on the ground caught her attention. She moved closer to examine it. The object was… a pastry?

"Ron took some pastries with him from the hospital wing!" Neville hissed to her.

"Hailey, those stairs, to your left. They lead to the trophy room," Hermione whispered, her face suddenly pale. Hailey swore and pointed her wand up the staircase.

"Then that's where we'll go next. If Nott's hurt our friend, I'll hex him within an inch of his life," she said, scowling up at the location of the trophy room.

"But what about McGonagall?"

"There's no time Hermione. If we get caught, we can tell the truth. I'm sure she'll understand."

They tiptoed up the staircase, careful to make as little noise as possible to avoid alerting anybody who might be inside. Hailey leaned against the archway of the door leading into the trophy room, wand held at the ready. She silently gestured for Hermione to be ready to go in after her. Counting down the seconds, Hailey prepared to burst into the room and curse anything within.

She spun around the arch, with the words of a spell already on her lips, and lined her wand up with her target. Time seemed to slow down as she scanned the room. Four people. Two at the back wall, two on the left. Malfoy was a damned liar, she thought quietly to herself.

"_Flipendo!_" Hailey whispered, sending a burst of kinetic energy towards an unsuspecting Theodore Nott. He cried out in shock and lurched backwards when the force of her spell hit, collapsing onto Millicent Bulstrode. Hailey didn't wait for either of them to recover and sent more spells towards the two Slytherins, causing Nott and Bulstrode to collapse against the back wall with a sickening crunch. She was forced to duck behind a trophy case when Crabbe and Goyle finally reacted and started sending spells towards her.

"_Diffindo!" _Crabbe shouted from the side of the room. The Severing Charm narrowly missed her head and cut through the corner of the stone arch.

Hermione jumped out from behind the arch to cover her and sent an _Incendio_ at Goyle, causing his sleeve to catch fire. He ran screaming out the back door. Crabbe, now outnumbered, panicked and stumbled out after Goyle, leaving Nott and Bulstrode alone in the trophy room.

But Nott had recovered from the Hailey's spellfire. He leapt to his feat, glaring at the Gryffindors murderously and pointing his wand to Hailey.

"_Diffindo!_" he shouted. The Severing Charm streaked across the room, lined up directly with her chest. Hailey prepared to teleport out of the way, but Neville tugged on her arm before she could and pulled her out of the way just before the spell could make contact. They collapsed onto the ground in a heap.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Hermione shouted before Nott could fire another spell. He went rigid and collapsed back onto Bulstrode's unconscious body. Hermione surveyed the room, making sure that it was completely empty before rushing over to where Neville and Hailey were waiting.

"Are you two alright? Did you get hit? Are you hurt?"

Hailey patted herself down for injuries and helped Neville stand up. "We're fine. Are you hurt?"

"No. Why were they here? I thought Malfoy said that Nott wasn't going to show up?"

"Because Malfoy lied to us," Hailey said. "Ron must have overestimated his ambition."

"I think I hear something!" Neville whispered. They all fell silent and strained their ears for any noise. A pained moan broke the silence of the trophy room, emanating from a wooden cupboard in the corner of the room. Hailey gestured for Neville and Hermione to follow her quietly and tiptoed to the cupboard, wand at the ready.

Hailey and Hermione crouched on either side of the cupboard, each with a hand on one of the handles. They yanked both the doors wide open, spinning ground to point their wands at any threat that might come out.

The Gryffindor trio all exhaled with relief when instead of another Slytherin waiting to ambush them, they were met with the sight of Ron Weasley bound on the floor. He cried out in fear through a gag in his mouth when he saw the wands pointed at him but relaxed when he saw who were holding them. Hailey let her wand hand fall limply to her side and sighed.

Hermione sent a Severing Charm at the ropes binding their friend, allowing him to wiggle out of the cupboard with their help and remove the gag from his mouth.

"Thanks for finding me. Those snakes ambushed me while I was heading back to the common room and shoved me in the cupboard. They wanted to lure you here and overwhelm you, I heard them talking while I was in here. Cowards," he spat. "Nott would have made you face the four of them at once. How'd you beat them?"

"I had the element of surprise. Hermione and I managed to get off a couple of spells before they reacted. But I'm glad you're alright Ron, I got worried after you didn't show up to the common room," Hailey said and helped him to his feet. "Now be quiet, we have to sneak back to the common room before Filch finds us. I say we leave Nott and Bulstrode for Filch to find and go back the way we came."

No sooner had the words left her mouth did they hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the room. They all froze in fear as Filch rounded the corner into the trophy room.

"Sniff around, my sweet. They might be lurking in the corner."

They Gryffindors fell to the ground and crept silently around the edge of the room, crouched down low behind the shelves lined with golden trophies and suits of armour and moving silently towards the door at the back of the room. Hailey was only a few metres from escaping when a loud clanging noise shattered the tense silence. They spun around to see Neville's pale face next to a fallen suit of armour.

"RUN!" Hermione shouted. The four of them sprinted down the galley and out into the corridor, Filch in close pursuit. They bolted down corridors and staircases, Hailey leading them with no idea where they were going besides away from the trophy room. She could figure out how to get back to the common room later, now they just needed to put as much distance between them and Filch as possible.

Ron shoved open a door, pulling them into a dark and dusty corridor illuminated by dim torches. There was only one other exit: a large wooden door lined with metal reinforcements that loomed over the first years. Hailey tugged against the door experimentally, but it didn't budge.

"It's locked!" Hailey hissed. "Should we turn back?"

The sound of running footsteps echoing through the corridor made the decision for them.

"Move over!" Hermione said. She tapped the lock and whispered, "_Alohamora!_"

The locked clicked open and they flew into the room, closing the door behind them. The sound of footsteps faded as Filch passed by the door. They each heaved a sigh of relief when they could no longer hear him.

"I think we've lost him," Hailey whispered. "Now, let's just wait here for a few minutes and - what is it Neville?"

Neville had been tugging on her robes, his eyes transfixed on something behind them. He didn't reply, just raised a trembling hand to point to a looming black creature that was stirring in the dark corner of the room.

The sinking feeling dread filled Hailey as the massive yellow eyes of the monster before them opened. A quick scan of the gravitation waves of the castle confirmed her suspicions. They were in the forbidden third floor corridor.

Three pairs of eyes fixed themselves onto the quartet. A giant three-headed dog bared its three pairs of razor-sharp yellow fangs and snarled at them, spitting strings of saliva along the floor.

"Get us out of here!" Ron shouted at Hermione. In a choice between Filch and death, they'd take Filch.

"I can't! There isn't a door handle on this side!" Hermione cried, panic in her voice. Ron and Neville pushed futilely against the door, hoping they might be able to get it open.

Staring into the teeth-filled mouth of the beast before them, Hailey made a split second decision. She turned and ran towards her friends, leaping at them with her arms spread wide and tackling them to the ground. In the brief moment they were floating in the air, Hailey focused her mind on the area just behind the door, feeling space flow through her and twist itself into a knot, tearing them out of existence. The open maw of the dog snapped shut over the group of students. But instead of meat and bone, the fangs sank into a burst of blue light.

The four students landed hard against the cold stone of the dusty corridor in a heap, moaning in pain. Hailey rolled off the pile limply, clutching her head tightly like it was going to split open while the other three untangled themselves from each other.

Neville and Ron looked around at their surroundings in disbelief. The heavy wooden door they had been trying to force their way through only moments ago shuddered as the three-headed dog pounded on the other side in fury. The eyes of the two boys finally laid on the limp form of Hailey, whose head was resting in Hermione's soft hands. Her eyes were only partially open and looking back at them weakly.

Ron turned to the shuddering wooden door and then back to the waiting eyes of his friend.

"Hailey, what did you just do?"

**A/N: So Hailey might have a little bit of explaining to do next chapter. **

**Because the characters of the SCP Universe are stronger than characters of the Harry Potter Universe on average, I'm going to try and make the Harry Potter characters stronger in a way that makes sense (both villains and heroes). Hailey has her anomalous abilities and the support of the SCP Foundation. Hermione's researcher personality can now be further cultivated by learning under her uncle. Ron's ability to make strategic and practical decisions with the context of having been raised in the wizarding world (as opposed to Hailey being an outside observer and Hermione being somebody who learnt everything from books) will also come up more often. Neville is going to be forced to stand up for himself and his friends earlier, like how he chooses to go with them to find Ron instead of being forced to because they were locked out of the common room because the Fat Lady left. For the antagonists, Draco is going to be more subtle and cunning like a Slytherin is supposed to be, especially after the extent of his plan to rule Slytherin is revealed next chapter. **

**Hoodedgenius98: Glad you understand.**

**Kaore Ryu: Oh yeah, SCP-106 will be a nightmare for any magical to deal with. And for reasons that will be revealed in the next book, 106 has a very strong reason to want a particular wizard dead. **

**If you don't mind me asking, what made you dubious about this story? I'm still learning how to write properly, this is actually my first attempt at writing something with multiple chapters, so I'm still trying to figure out if I'm doing anything bad. **

**pinks99: Evidently, not very long. **


	11. Chapter 10: Jailers

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners. **

"_Hailey, what did you just do?"_

Ron was looking at her expectantly, making Hailey wish she could just sink into the ground like her grandfather. This was what she always feared. The SCP Foundation rarely let anomalies have as much freedom as she had been given. They were not called The Jailors for nothing. And she had just committed the greatest sin a Foundation operative could commit: revealing secrets to an outsider. She could be locked up in Site 19 for the rest of her life for this.

And yet, if she could go back, Hailey wouldn't have done any differently. Her anomalous abilities saved their lives. No matter what the Foundation did to her, it would have been worth it. But still, she was suddenly faced with the prospect of never being let out of containment again. And that terrified her.

"Now isn't the time, you two," Hermione hissed, coming to her rescue. "Hailey isn't in any state to talk and we still have to get back to the common room before Filch finds us. Now help me lift her up."

Hermione may have given her a few minutes of respite, but Ron and Neville weren't going to forget what happened. At least, not until the Foundation got their hands on them. Who knows, the Foundation might scrub memories so they forgot they'd ever met her. They might even scrub Hermione's memories too. The thought of her friends not recognising her sent shivers down her spine.

Hailey didn't know how long it took them to reach the common room. She had been deaf to the world for the entire trip. Deaf to the curious looks from Ron, worried looks from Neville and caring looks from Hermione, too lost in her own thoughts and worries. She didn't hear Hermione tell the boys to leave Hailey alone until the morning or Ron bid her goodnight.

All she heard was the all-consuming blizzard of voices in her head telling her all the ways the Foundation was going to make sure she could never see her friends again.

Hailey collapsed into her bed and curled herself up into a ball. She let her tears flow freely now and cried into her pillow. Hermione sat on the side of her bed, holding her as her body was wracked with sobs.

"What am I going to do?" Hailey cried, her green eyes stained red with tears. "They're going to take me away!"

Hermione didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. She wanted to tell Hailey that it was going to be alright, but they would both know she was lying. Everything was going to change now.

The two girls simply held each other, sobs echoing through the silent dormitory until they grew softer and she finally cried herself into an exhausted sleep. Hermione stayed with Hailey until her breathing became steady and her tears stopped falling, before she too fell asleep, still holding Hailey tightly.

* * *

It was early morning when Hailey awoke again. The events of yesterday hit her like a tsunami, bringing fresh tears to her eyes. But time gave her new clarity on her situation and with that came a steely resolve to keep her friends safe from the Foundation. The more they knew about her, the more the Foundation would take from their memories. They would be safer if she wasn't here.

A small part of her considered not telling the Foundation about this information leak, but Hailey knew that would be impossible. Nobody lied to the SCP Foundation and got away with it. If she lied, they would consider he not only a security risk but also unreliable. Thaumiel-class anomalies had to be reliable and trustworthy, they'd reclassify her as Euclid if she was caught lying and she wouldn't even be able to see her SCP friends anymore.

But if she could just disappear from Hogwarts, they might show mercy to her friends. Hailey might never see them ever again, but it would be worth it to keep them safe. Maybe the Foundation could just make them believe she died, instead of erasing her existence from their memories?

She wriggled out of Hermione's hold, careful to not wake her. Hermione muttered something unintelligible in her sleep, but she didn't wake up. Good, Hailey had to do this alone. Hermione would just try to stop her.

"Goodbye, Hermione," Hailey whispered. She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead and tiptoed out into the corridor.

This might be the last time she ever saw this place. Despite having only been here two weeks, Hogwarts was quickly becoming like a second home to Hailey. And now there was a good chance she would never see it again.

She rarely felt cold. But it seemed that with every step she took towards Professor Dumbledore's office, the walls of the empty castle dropped a degree. But she had to do this. It made her heart burn to have to leave her friends and cousin behind, especially without saying goodbye, but it was for their own good.

Approaching the statue the led to the Headmaster's office, Hailey fought back her tears enough to stutter out the password. She took one last longing look at the place she had come to think of as a second home before the ascending stone platform blocked it from sight.

The strange office of the Headmaster, once so welcoming, now made Hailey feel like she was marching to her execution. Dumbledore was already there, sitting behind his oak wood desk and looking at her expectantly. A small part of her wondered what he was doing up so early.

"Professor. I- I need you to take me back to the Foundation."

He leaned forward and gave her a concerned look. "Hailey, you've been crying. What happened?"

"I did something I wasn't supposed to. Ron and Neville, they saw me teleport. I had to save them from being eaten by a giant monster. Now the Foundation is going to wipe their memories and I'm never going to see them again!" Hailey cried, struggling to hold back another wave of tears.

"And how do you know this?"

"What do you mean? I broke their rules!"

"Often we become so focused on what we are expected to do that we lose sight of what is the right thing to do. I had to learn the hard way that these two things are not one in the same. You may have broken the Foundation's rules, but you did it to save the lives of your friends. And nobody can fault you for that."

Hailey shook her head sadly. "That's a nice thought, sir. But I don't think they'll see it that way."

"I think you underestimate the power of Human empathy. In my time, I have learnt that few people are truly without empathy, even those in the SCP Foundation. No matter how much you may all believe otherwise."

In two weeks, Hailey had gotten to know a lot about Dumbledore's character. He wasn't just a powerful wizard the Foundation trusted with their secrets, he was also incredibly wise. But hopelessly optimistic. Empathy was the first thing the Foundation sacrificed on it's own altar to protect Humanity. Hailey learnt that the first time she saw a man die.

They would not show leniency to her just because of the circumstances. If she couldn't feel empathy, why would the O5 Council be any different?

Dumbledore studied her face and sighed sadly. Without a word, he held out his arm for her to take and apparated them into the cold and windy valley of Area 192. No matter what happened, Hailey would always be grateful for the brief moment of time she got to spend with her friends, even if she would never see them again.

* * *

Ron didn't sleep well that night.

He wouldn't admit this to anyone, but he was embarrassed. He had underestimated Malfoy, and put his friends at risk because of it. Being locked in a cupboard for an hour had given him a lot of time to think. Malfoy's plan was far more extensive and ambitions than he had ever believed possible. If Ron didn't hate the bloke so much, he'd honestly respect him for it.

But Ron was more worried about Hailey. She was his first friend, the first person who wouldn't compare him to his more talented older brothers. And he knew whatever it was Hailey had done in that corridor, it hurt her. Both physically and emotionally. And seeing her hurt made him feel the same way. Especially since she had hurt herself to save Ron's life.

Why that strange Apparition-like ability had hurt her, Ron didn't understand. He was quickly discovering that there were a lot of things he didn't understand about his friend. Hailey had done something in that corridor Ron had been taught from birth was impossible: she had apparated in Hogwarts, and didn't seem the slightest bit surprised about it.

To add to the mystery, Hermione also didn't seem very surprised about Hailey's magic-defying feat. Ron knew for a fact that Hermione was aware Hogwarts had anti-Apparition wards, she had certainly read it in that book of hers. But she seemed to already know Hailey could bypass them.

Ron wanted to know what Hailey had done. But more importantly, he wanted to know if she was OK. Hermione all but carried her up to the girl's dormitory last night. And it had been his fault. If he had not been captured or underestimated Malfoy, she would have never had to find him and then save his life. If using this power had hurt in any lasting way, it would be his fault.

Maybe he could ask Hermione? She seemed to know what was happening with Hailey, even going so far as to anticipate the physical pain Hailey felt using this strange ability. His mind made up, Ron left for the Gryffindor common room, leaving the other boys sleeping in their beds.

When he found Hermione, she was curled up in the common room window frame, her back turned to him. Her brown hair was messy and dishevelled, more so than usual.

"Hey 'Mione, where's Hailey? I wanted to see how she's doing and thank her for-"

Hermione spun around and pointed at him accusingly, her eyes red with tears and fury. "YOU! It's your fault! They took her and it's all your fault!"

She tried to punch his chest, but Ron caught both of her dainty hands before they could make contact and held them still.

"Hermione, I don't know what you're talking about! Who took Hailey? What is going on?"

He got no response, instead Hermione burst into tears again and sobbed uncontrollably. He let go of her hands, allowing her to collapse forward into his chest.

"They took Hailey!" Hermione stuttered through her cries. "I'm never get to see her again!"

Merlin, what happened to Hailey to make Hermione cry like this? He stomach plummeted as he processed her words. Hailey had been kidnapped because of his mistake. Hermione was right.

He owed Hailey his life, Ron wasn't going to let her be miserable because she chose to save him. Whoever 'they' were, Ron was going to do whatever he could to make sure they didn't get away with taking his best friend.

_And for making Hermione cry_, a small part of his brain whispered to him.

Over Hermione's shoulder, Ron saw his brother Percy enter the common room and beckoning him forward.

"Ah, just the people I was looking for!" Percy said, seemingly oblivious to Hermione's crying. "Professor Dumbledore wants to see you two and Neville Longbottom in his office, immediately. Do not keep the Headmaster waiting."

As soon as he had finished, Percy left again for the dormitories to wake Neville. Hearing his words, Hermione's sobs intensified and she clutched onto him tighter. Her face was now pale, instead of the angry red it was earlier.

"It's them," she whispered, shivering in fear.

Neville descended into the common room, followed closely by Percy. He nodded at Ron and gestured to Hermione concernedly.

'_Not right now,'_ Ron mouthed to Neville silently.

Hermione eventually composed herself enough to stand on her own. The trio trailed behind Percy silently to the Headmaster's office. Ron and Neville exchanged confused glances as Hermione alternated between crying and terror.

"Hermione, who's 'they'?" Ron asked after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"Hailey's _caretakers_. They won't be happy about what happened last night," she replied cryptically. "She broke their rules. And now she'd going to pay the price for it."

"But that isn't fair!" Neville shouted. "Hailey saved us!"

A single tear slid down Hermione's cheek. "No, it isn't fair. But it's what _they_ do."

No more words were spoken between the trio until they were standing before the griffon statue and Percy opened it with the password. The trio ascended the staircase to find themselves in the strange office of the Headmaster. Ron noticed curiously that the room was very dark, the lights were off and the windows blocked. Hadn't Fred and George described it as bright and silvery?

A spell hit him in the back, causing his body to seize up. Paralysed, he could do nothing as a black bag was forced onto his head and he was dropped roughly to the floor with a thumb. Two more thumbs followed.

"Must you manhandle my students?" a voice Ron recognised as Professor Dumbledore's spoke from somewhere above him.

"Yes," a gruff male voice responded. "Now stop asking questions and take us out of this place."

"_Sonum," _a female voice whispered from somewhere above him.

Ron suddenly felt unnaturally tired. His eyelids fluttered shut and his head rolled back on the ground. The last thing he felt was being roughly picked up, before he drifted into an empty void.

* * *

A dull humming sound in his ears was the first thing Ron heard as he drifted into consciousness. His head felt like it was swimming, making it impossible to form a coherent thought. A fog of grey danced in his vision as he struggled to shake off the effects of the sleeping spell.

"_It would be easier to just pump him full of amnestics and send him back" _a distorted male voice echoed through the room.

"_Do I have to remind you O5-11 has given his approval for him to be questioned beforehand?" _another distorted male voice replied.

Ron regained control of his eyes and tried to look around at the cell he was in. It was large, the size of a two story house, and roughly cubical. At the top of the wall to his right, there was an opaque window overseeing the room, roughly two metres from the ground. It was the only source of light. But the light wasn't any kind of light Ron had seen before. It seemed unnatural, providing none of the warm orange glow of a fire. Instead it was a cold and lifeless pale colour.

"_Just because you managed to convince the O5 Council doesn't mean I have to like it. 5536 is putting our security at risk." _the first voice accused. "_Oh look, he's awake."_

The bright light of the window hurt his eyes, but he could just make out 4 shadowy humanoid figures on the other side. Something about the window kept him from seeing any more than the shadows of the three people. What kind of place was this?

"_Begin Interview Log: PoI 5536-46," _the softer male voice said. "_Your name is Ronald Bilius Weasley, is that correct?" _

Ron suddenly became aware of tight metal clamps on his arms, tying him down to an uncomfortable metal chair. He felt panic start to bubble in his chest as he struggled against the bindings. What was this place? Who were these people? The last thing he remembered was walking into Dumbledore's office, now he was kidnapped by strange people asking him questions.

"_Answer the question!" _the first male voice shouted down at him.

But Ron was too busy panicking. He was remembering Hermione's words from earlier and the terrified way she spoke about Hailey's "caretakers". Merlin, were _these _the people that raised Hailey? How could she speak about them so fondly?

"_Ro- Weasley. I advise you to answer the question immediately and truthfully," _a female voice pleaded. Something about this voice soothed him, piercing through the fog of terror in his mind. The more he focused on this female, the calmer he felt. It was like just knowing she was there caused his aggression and fear to melt away.

In the back of his mind, he realised that this calmness didn't seem natural. But he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Yes, that's my name. Who are you people?!"

"_We'll be asking the questions, Mr Weasley," _the calmer male voice said. "_What was it that you saw Hailey Euphemia Mardas do on September 12th, 2021?"_

"I don't know. We in this room about to be eaten, but she tackled us out of the way and the next thing I know we landed outside in a corridor safely."

"_And besides Miss Granger and Mr Longbottom, no other people saw or know of this event?"_

"No, just me. Why, do you want to know if you needed to kidnap more people?" Ron shouted at where he assumed the man was. But the shadowy figure behind the window didn't even flinch.

"_How did you react when you saw Miss Mardas use her anomalous abilities?" _he asked, completely ignoring Ron's jab.

"With shock, obviously. Apparation within Hogwarts grounds is supposed to be impossible."

"_And why exactly were you and Miss Mardas in this room to begin with?"_

Ron felt a wave of anger wash over him. He could tell this person knew exactly why they were in the forbidden corridor and just wanted Ron to admit that it was _his_ mistake that forced Hailey's hand. It must be some kind of interrogation tactic, to try and break him with guilt.

"I'm not answering anymore questions. Show me Neville and Hermione are OK, then we'll talk."

The figure in the window stiffened slightly. The larger one behind him leaned over to whisper in the speaker's ear, loud enough that Ron could just hear what was being said.

"_It's not too late to wipe his mind."_

But the interviewer didn't respond. Instead, he gestured towards the door with his hand, causing the smaller female from earlier to leave the room.

"_Mr Weasley, would you like to meet my daughter?" _he asked after a few minutes of silence. "_I'll release you from the restraints, she'll be down there in a few minutes," _the man finished, not waiting for his answer.

The metal clamps on his wrists sprung open with a soft hiss. Ron stumbled out of the chair and rubbed his hands. Scanning the room, his eyes found a small metal door behind him. Whoever that person was, apparently he was supposed to meet with his daughter? Who was she, and why would he be asked to talk with her? She must be some kind of interrogator, maybe these people thought he'd talk better if they hurt him.

Ron shivered as a feeling of dread washed over him. He was alone, trapped in some strange prison cell and about to meet an interrogator that was probably going to make him feel more pain than he had ever felt in his life. And when they realised Ron had nothing to tell them, they'd wipe his mind. Or worse...

Well, he wasn't about to make it easy for them. He was still a weak 11 year old, but he'd rather die with dignity than have these people torture him into doing something he'd regret. Like mentioning his family, maybe they'd visit them just to make sure. Decision made, Ron pressed himself against the wall next to the door. When the interrogator entered the room, he was going to rush out of this room, damn the consequences.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ron saw a flash of blue light and spun around just in time to see a black-haired blur racing towards him.

"Ron! I thought I'd never see you again!" Hailey cried as she leaped at him and pulled him into a crushing hug. Hermione, who was standing behind her rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face betrayed her true feelings.

"Hailey! Where have you been?"

"I had to leave Hogwarts early in the morning. Nobody was supposed to know about my anomalous abilities and my caretakers have a tendency to erase people's memories to keep their secrets. I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye, but the less you knew the safer you would be. But Professor Dumbledore managed to convince one of our leaders that you and Neville could be trusted with knowing and now I can tell you all about me friends oh there's so many people I want you to meet and-"

"Again Hailey, remember to breathe," Hermione sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. "Honestly, what would you do without me?"

"Die painfully from suffocation?" Hailey grinned at Hermione.

"It's good to see you again but could either of you tell me exactly where I am?" Ron interrupted. He hated to break up such a pleasant moment, but there were so many questions spinning in his head that needed to be answered right now or he was going to have another panic attack.

"Ah, right. I suppose this is pretty scary for you? I know how you feel, I was introduced to all this stuff only a year ago," Hermione said, gesturing vaguely around the room. "This is the SCP Foundation, a secret group of Muggles that know about magic and other assorted weird stuff. They capture and study abnormalities and protect the rest of the world from discovering these things exist. If you ask me, they've done more to keep wizards a secret than the wizards themselves."

Muggles that know about the Wizarding World? The idea that there was an organisation that has known about magical society for who knows how long without them being aware of it terrified Ron. His family was old enough to have tales of when Muggles would organise witch hunts. And unlike the other pureblood families, the Wealeys didn't conveniently forget that the Muggles were bloody good at it.

"I'm what they call an SCP- an anomaly," Hailey added, blind to Ron's internal panic. "You two are technically anomalies too, because you're both magicals or as the Foundation calls you an instance of SCP-5500. But due to an agreement within our organisation we don't interfere with magical affairs. I'm a special case, as far as the Foundation is aware my spatial manipulation powers are unique to me. So I'm given a different designation: SCP-5536."

That number was familiar to him, somehow. He'd heard it recently. "Wait, was it you that man was referring to earlier?"

"Yes. Again, sorry you had to go through that. Agent Kemp is a bit abrasive, but he means well. Oh, by the way, the other person up there was Achilles, my father. You might remember him from the train station?"

Merlin, that guy was in on this too? Ron felt a bit stupid. Half the people he had met since that day were part of some secret society that he was oblivious too. Was Achilles even Hailey's father, or some kind of guard? The way Hermione had described this place made Ron think of Azkaban, so his assumption couldn't be too far off. And Hailey seemed oddly OK with it.

"So, what happens now?" he asked after a moment of tense silence. "Are they going to lock me up in here?"

"No. You'll be going back to Hogwarts. But you can't tell anybody about my abilities, this place or anything else they tell you," Hailey pleaded, forcing a smile and looking like she was expecting him to panic. "I'm honestly surprised they actually agreed to let you in on our secret. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't expecting them to just wipe your mind of my existence," She paused and leaned forward to embrace him tightly. "But I'm glad they didn't, I don't want to lose my friend."

Didn't want to lose her friend? That's why she brought him to this nightmarish place?

"And did you consider that I might not want a powerful organisation breathing down my neck for the rest of my life?"

Hailey tilted her head and gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I don't think you considered what _I _wanted. I am freaking the hell out, Hailey. Muggles that know magic, terrifying secret societies and people who want my mind erased."

"Ron, that really isn't-" Hermione began, but Ron wasn't in the mood to listen to her.

"Now I'm supposed to keep this whole thing a secret or some people are going to kidnap me and probably anybody I've spent too much time around and steal our memories. And I still don't know what you've done with Neville. What happens to him now?" Ron paused for emphasis and carefully considered his next words. "If you ask me, you were just thinking of yourself. You wanted to keep your friends around, even if it meant inviting them into some glorified prison!"

Tears welled up in Hailey's eyes and her lip trembled slightly. Ron felt a stab of guilt, but he stifled it. She was his friend, but that didn't give her the right to assume that he would be OK with accepting orders from an organisation that erased memories as punishment for disobedience.

"Why don't you get Neville?" Hermione whispered to Hailey. She nodded slightly and teleported out of the room, momentarily illuminating the dim room in blue light.

Hermione sighed and gestured towards the door. "Come with me, I think we have to talk about some stuff."

Ron followed Hermione silently through the strange interior of this building. The walls were made out of some stone-like grey substance. Dimly he remembered his dad telling him that Muggles made buildings out of a liquid stone called concrite or something like that. His skin bristled under the harsh synthetic light that seemed too bright and yet provided him no heat like candles or fires he was familiar with.

They stopped in front of a metal door. Hermione placed her hand on a black object to the side of the door, which slid open at her touch. Merlin, the Muggles really did know how to use magic!

"We can talk in here," Hermione said after what felt like hours of silence.

The interior of this room had small metal tables and some unused counter against the far wall. Ron trailed meekly behind Hermione, trying to sort through the chaotic whirlpool of thoughts in his head. He was angry at Hailey, but relieved to see her again. She had risked her life and freedom to save him, but then dragged him into this whole mess without his consent. What if she slipped up again? Would the Foundation be taking his family next?

Hermione sighed and sat down at one of the tables. "Look, I know you're angry. And you have the right to be angry. I'm new to this Foundation thing too, I think I can understand what you're going through."

"Can you Hermione?" Ron asked her. "I'm going to assume your parents already know about this place?"

Seeing her slight nod of confirmation, Ron continued.

"Well mine don't. And neither do any of my siblings. So what happens if I let something slip, or Hailey does that weird Apparation thing in front of them? That is assuming I even get back to my life, from the way you described this place I don't think that's a certainty anymore. At least, not with my memory intact."

"I know what I said earlier. And I did expect them to just wipe your mind and take Hailey away. But they surprised me. The Foundation already let you leave the holding cell, they've already agreed to release you."

"It still doesn't change the fact that Hailey sent a bunch of scary Muggles after me just so she could keep me around. I'm still not sure if how much of that was motivated by selfishness."

Hermione sighed and scooted across the metal seat until she was sitting next to him.

"Hailey never told me much about her upbringing. I've only known her for a year, and these past two weeks have been the most time I've ever spent with her. But from what I can tell, Hailey was and still is a lonely person. This was the place she was raised in, you can imagine how that could turn out. She doesn't get a lot of chances to be around friends, especially ones her age. I can think of one other person our age Hailey speaks to, and she gets to see her for maybe an hour a week or two. And don't tell her I said this, but I think she is starved for affection."

That only made his guilt worsen. Ron couldn't imagine a life without his siblings surrounding him. And he didn't want to try. If this was Hailey's life, he could almost understand her feelings. But it still didn't make them any less selfish.

"Hailey really cares about you, more so than she really should for a person that she only met two weeks ago. But that's Hailey for you, she seemed to have the instinctive ability to make life-long friends with people she's just met. And she'd do anything to protect them," Hermione continued, subtly reminding him of what caused this whole mess in the first place. "I think this is her way of inviting you into her life. Hailey must have an awful lot of trust in you to let you in on the real her. And honestly Ron, she risked her freedom just to save your life. If that isn't selfless, I don't know what is."

Merlin, now he was really feeling like an awful person. Hailey may have been acting selfish, but it was motivated by genuine friendship. He put her in danger by being captured, and still she chose to save him knowing that the Foundation could have her locked away.

"You're right Hermione," Ron sighed. "I can't hold that against her. If I'm being honest, I'm just still panicking slightly and I think I took it out on her."

Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Like I said, I understand how you feel. This place terrified me at first, and still kind of does. But you get used to it."

She paused, with a look of contemplation on her face.

"Hailey introduced me to one of her SCP friends when I first arrived here. It really helped me realise that this place wasn't just scientists, soldiers and monsters. Would you like to meet it?"

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"Trust me, you'll love Blub."

She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him down the corridor. As he stepped out onto the grey stone, Ron noticed that the synthetic lights didn't seemed just a tiny bit warmer.

**A/N: You would not believe how hard this chapter was to write. I swear I had to rewrite the entire thing 3 times before I had something satisfactory. It didn't help that it fell right in the middle of examination week. Hopefully the next one will be slightly easier for me.**

**This was my first attempt writing Ron's POV, I hope I did it justice. I couldn't decide how Ron would react to the Foundation, I eventually decided that since he is the most "normal" one of the Golden Trio personality-wise, he'd probably react like any other regular person would being introduced to the SCP Foundation: terror and panic. I also wanted to explore a bit of Ron and Hermione's relationship, this would be the point in time when they first became friends. **

**PasiveNox: As usual, glad you liked it. **

**Yukine-ren: Malfoy is a personal favourite character of mine, I wanted to show him as a far more Slytherin and competent antagonist (for now, he's the antagonist). Next chapter I'll show you just how cunning he can be. And SCP-682 is brutal, but let's be honest Hailey would be pretty desensitised to death, considering her upbringing and the company she keeps. SCP-682 is going to be a more important SCP character as the plot progresses (since as you know he has certain relationship with the main antagonist who you've probably already guessed). But I'm not going to introduce him for a while, since I don't want to just dump characters into a story like that. **

**brnicholas: The usage of spells like that two weeks into Hogwarts is part of it, but I didn't think it would make sense for Hailey, Hermione and Slytherin Purebloods to know no magic. Hailey has the Foundation's knowledge and all their magical employees (some of which I introduced in this chapter), Hermione is Hermione and the Slytherins were raised in the magical world and thus had access to private tutors. But yes, I'm trying to make some characters more powerful to compensate for Hailey's boost. **

**Hoodedgenius98: Yeah maybe, I could include it in an omake or possibly some kind of alternate universe since this is the SCP Verse we're talking about. **

**Fast Frank: No they are not. As you can probably see the character dynamics of the trio have changed. Ron is now left as the only member of the group that relates to other people in a "normal" way (as opposed to Hermione's social ineptness and Hailey's Foundation-bred aloofness). But Draco definitely isn't unhappy. Theo showed up the duel, and got busted by Filch. Since Hailey and co weren't caught, people are going to assume that they were the ones that informed Filch. As far as anybody in Slytherin is concerned, Theo just got out-Slytherined by Gryffindors. And for Draco, that's a rival cut down. **

**Pinks99: Thanks, I hope I've done the same in this chapter too. In this one, I wanted to show that while Ron can understand people and their motives better than anybody else in Hailey's group, that he is still just an 11 year old boy that would be terrified out of his mind in the SCP Foundation. **


	12. Chapter 11: The Soldier

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners. **

"So, this place is like the Muggle version of the Department of Mysteries?" Neville asked, footsteps echoing down the silent corridor.

"Not quite the analogy I had in mind, but it fits," Hailey replied, smiling at him enthusiastically. "But we're way cooler than them."

Neville was surprisingly cool with learning about the Foundation. And if Hailey was being honest with herself, it unnerved her. Freaking out is kind of the default reaction people should have when they're kidnapped and interrogated by a secret society, yet Neville was taking this in stride.

"Are you sure you're OK Neville?" Hailey asked him. "Your being abnormally calm about this."

"Don't get me wrong, this is a scary place. But I trust you. If you can feel safe here, then so can I. Besides, from the way you looked when you arrived, I really didn't think you needed somebody to have a panic attack on your watch."

Hailey wouldn't admit it to anybody, but Ron's words had hurt her. Mostly because she knew he was right. It wasn't up to her to decide whether he wanted to risk his sanity to be her friend. It sometimes slipped her mind how traumatising this place really could be. After all the things she'd seen, Hailey had become numb to the horrors of the SCP Foundation. But Neville, Ron and even Hermione didn't have the same… experience. And Hailey would prefer it stay that way.

"Thanks Neville, that's really kind of you. But I'll understand if you need to vent."

He laughed good heartedly. "Maybe later. But I think I'd feel better if I saw Ron and Hermione. You said they were here too?"

"Yeah they're a few floors up," Hailey said. "I've got them on the camera feed," she explained, pulling out a small tablet from her pocket. Even though they were in an unused sector of Site 19, the Foundation had taken care to monitor Ron and Neville via surveillance cameras, something Hailey happened to have the required clearance to access.

"Camera what now?" Neville asked.

"Oh it's- never mind," Hailey sighed. "So, we can take the elevator and be there in five minutes or so, or would you like to get there now?"

Neville tilted his head, trying to figure out what she meant. Recognition dawned on his face and he shuffled awkwardly.

"You mean with your weird Apparation abilities, don't you?"

She nodded in confirmation.

"But, doesn't that hurt you? Last time you did it you looked like you were about to pass out."

She winced slightly at the memory. That hadn't been a good night for her. It was hard to believe it was just yesterday, so much had happened since then.

"It's the anti-Apparation wards. They make it _difficult _to teleport," she explained, coming to a stop in the long concrete corridor. "I can do it easier outside of them. Watch!"

Hailey let herself fall out of reality and appear behind her friend. He jumped in shock and spun around when she tapped him on the shoulder.

"See? I'll be fine. But I understand if you don't want to, my abilities aren't exactly something magicals are used to."

"No Hailey. Like I said earlier, I trust you. And thus I trust your strange Apparition ability. You've been a good friend to me, and even though you keep secrets from us I know you do it for a good reason."

Hailey felt her eyes water slightly. What had she done to deserve a friend like Neville? Was she really such a good manipulator she could make people as pure as him think of her as a friend? It physically pained her to hear him confess his trust in her. It was so misplaced. Who could ever honestly trust her? A person without empathy raised in a place that encouraged lies and secrecy?

She composed herself and reached out to grab Neville's soft hand, praying that he hadn't seen her tears. It only took her a fraction of a second to find a small void she knew Ron and Hermione were at. Again, she stepped out of reality, this time dragging Neville with her, and appeared instantaneously in a plain concrete room.

Or at least, what would be a plain concrete room. The walls were covered in large colourful drawings. To her left was a child-like depiction of what Hailey could only guess was a particularly odd butterfly. That or a SCP-610 instance, she couldn't really tell. If Hailey had to guess, she'd say the former. SCP-610 instances don't play in green meadow fields under rainbows. Hailey couldn't help but chuckle internally. This room would give a person like Professor Snape a heart attack.

Clearly Blub had made good use of her crayons.

She'd been surprised Hermione had taken Ron here when she saw them enter SCP-999's containment unit. Introducing somebody to an anomaly on their first day wasn't really standard Foundation policy. Then again, Blub wasn't exactly the usual anomaly.

A happy gurgle from the back wall caused Hailey to turn around just in time to catch an orange mass hurtling towards her.

"Haha, I missed you too!" Hailey laughed, stumbling slightly under the sudden weight. "Sheesh, you've gotten heavier. Did you get into the candy storage units again?"

The SCP just gurgled in response and sunk through Hailey's hands to plop back onto the ground.

"He likes you," a familiar voice commented from behind her. Hailey sported Ron leaning against the wall next to Hermione with a neutral expression on his face. But his eyes were hard and suspicious.

"Hey Ron. I brought Neville here. If you want, I can leave while you three talk it out?"

"I think that would be best."

She nodded sadly. Blub gurgled softly and wrapped himself around her leg, making her feel warm and fuzzy inside. But it wasn't enough to drown her despair. Hailey shooed the SCP away from her and teleported away, not even looking at her three friends as she left. They needed to talk between themselves and she wasn't going to stand in their way.

Hailey hadn't taken any notice of where she was teleporting to, which was why she was surprised to find herself in an abandoned armoury. Why had she ended up here? Usually when she teleported without thinking, she'd find herself back in her bedroom. But she'd never been here before.

The walls were lined with dusty firearms and unused MTF uniforms. The lights were dim and flickering, casting strange shadows on the walked through the dusty room, her hand trailing against the rack of guns as she passed. But her thoughts were with her friends. What were they talking about?

"They don't trust you," a voice said from behind her, accompanied by a long scraping noise.

Over by the corner of the room, a figure was sitting at a small bench sharpening a large curved knife that caught the light of the flickering LED bulbs, causing it to shine wickedly. He was a large man, with dark brown hair in a military cut and icy blue eyes that stared at Hailey like she was a bug he was about to squash. A deep and angry red scar ran down his neck, standing out against his pale skin.

"Agent Kemp, I didn't expect to see you here," Hailey said. She'd only met the MTF Commander a few times in her life, but that was enough. The man unnerved her.

He smiled at her, and Hailey was distinctly reminded of a shark about to bite its prey.

"I like to listen to the silence," he said, drawing a whetstone over the blade of his knife one more time. "Calms the nerves. Now how about you, 5536? What brings you here?" he asked with false sincerity.

She bristled at the use of her numerical designation. It made her feel like an object instead of a person.

"Am I not allowed here? I have the required clearance."

The Austrian man laughed in response, but the sound didn't have the warmth of a proper laugh.

"I know your little companions have told you to scram."

"How did you know!?" Hailey shouted. Had he been spying on her?

"You're as easy to read as a book, child. You lack emotional control, anybody who bothers to look can tell what you're feeling. And right now, it's sadness. I take it those 'friends' of yours didn't take it well?" Kemp said, chuckling to himself. He was now twirling the knife around his fingers.

"So what if I'm sad? I'm allowed to have emotions!"

"How did you get here?" he asked her again, more firmly.

Hailey paused slightly. With a sigh, she told him. "I just wanted to get away. I didn't really have a destination in mind."

"Exactly. You didn't have any conscious control over your anomalous properties. It was triggered by an emotional outburst."

"What does it matter?"

"You have no control. You're an emotional child with uncontrollable teleportation powers," Kemp said, staring down at her with his icy blue eyes. "A walking safety hazard."

He stood up now, sheathing the knife in his belt. Hailey took an involuntary step backwards as Kemp moved to loom over her, but she schooled her face into a mask of defiance. She wasn't about to show fear and prove him right. That's what he wanted her to do.

"I've read your file. A bit of panic and suddenly you've teleported to some random location in the facility. Yet despite this, the O5 Council has given permission for you to leave the facility. And not two weeks later, you've done the same thing again and exposed two children to the world of the anomalous. You put the entire Foundation at risk just by existing."

"They were in trouble! I had to help them, they're my friends."

"And? Was that really worth the risk of revealing the existence of the anomalous to the public? You problem is that you prioritise personnel bonds over the safety and security of the world, and thus you shouldn't ever be trusted with the privilege of leaving containment. "

"They're still my friends, I have to help them if they're in danger. Don't you have any friends?"

"None I would risk the world's safety for. And they'd do the same if I was the one about to die," he said, tapping the blade of the knife against his scar. "That's a sacrifice we all have to make, your 'father' should have taught you this. But what should I have expected from a weakling like him?"

Hailey's head snapped towards Kemp the second the words left his smirking mouth. She felt the familiar feeling of fury burning inside her, causing her vision to tinge red.

"Do not insult my father!" Hailey snarled at the larger man as she marched up to him, her hands clenched into fists and trembling with barely contained fury. On the walls, the dusty guns started to tremble slightly from the gravitational waves Hailey was creating.

If Agent Kemp was intimated, he certainly didn't show it. He stood his ground, looking down at her shorter form calmly, like he was dealing with an angry toddler instead of a reality warper. Hailey expected him to respond with his own fury, but instead Kemp was smirking at her. The very picture of smugness. He broke eye contact first, glancing over pointedly to where one of the guns had fallen from their racks.

With a start, Hailey realised what he'd done. Kemp baited her! He'd said what he knew would make her angry, and she'd done exactly what he expected to do and lost control. Her anger faded immediately, replaced with shame and embarrassment.

"I rest my case," Kemp said. He sat back down on the bench and pulled out his knife again. "No control. You didn't even realise you were using your anomalous abilities, did you?"

Hailey nodded meekly and her cheeks flushed red with humiliation.

"_SCP-5536, please proceed to Sector J-34-5," _a voice echoed through the armoury.

"That'll be your friends, come to tell you their decision," Kemp stated. "No doubt you'll still be heading back to Hogwarts regardless of their choice, the O5 Council still for some reason sees you as a trustworthy asset."

Hailey made for the exit, wanting to be out of Kemp's sight when she teleported. Just as she was about to leave, a hand was placed on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Kemp looming over her, holding that polished steel knife loosely in his hand as if preparing to end her with it.

He spun the knife around so that he was holding it by the blade and pressed the handle roughly into her chest, causing her to stumble back a few steps.

"Take it," he ordered in a tone that left no room for refusal.

"Why?"

"Think of it as a… reminder. Next you get yourself into a situation that puts the Foundation at risk, you're going to solve the problem yourself. By any means necessary," Kemp said, tapping the knife blade that was resting on her chest for emphasis. "You've got your orders, now leave."

He retreated back into the armoury, leaving Hailey alone once again. She stared numbly at the knife in her arms. It was brutal looking thing, about the size of her forearm with a curved leathery handle. In Hailey's dainty hands, it looked more like a short sword than a knife. She gave it a few experimental swings, surprised at how light it felt. It was too large for her hands, but the blade was balanced perfectly. She could imagine Agent Kemp swinging this knife through the air with grace and fluidness she wouldn't expect from such a large man. In her hands, it sliced through the air effortlessly. Like the scalpels she'd used in Doctor Louis' containment unit, this knife was sharper and more precise than the cooking knives she'd used before. Hailey idly wondered if this blade would cut into flesh the same way Louis' scalpels had.

That thought brought her crashing back down to reality. The knife now felt like a dull weight in her hands, as if her thoughts were weighing down upon it. She twisted it around to study the blade. It was unlike any other knives she'd held before. The blade curved slightly outwards, coming to a vicious-looking triangular point at the end. There was no doubt about it, this knife was designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill. Hailey tried to stop herself from imagining it in action. She could see this blade being jabbed into the soft part of the torso and withdrawn covered in crimson blood. What kind of history did this knife have? How many lives had Agent Kemp taken with it?

She considered leaving it on the floor. But then her mind drifted back to that night in the forbidden corridor. She could picture Ron, Neville and Hermione being torn to ribbons by that beast. A darker part of her mind whispered in her head. Surely a weapon was only as evil as it's wielder? It wouldn't hurt to be better prepared. Keeping this knife wouldn't make her a monster, not if she only used it to protect her friends?

Hailey hurriedly stowed the knife in her jacket's pockets. She'd keep it there until she could find a better holster for it.

Ignoring the unfamiliar weight at her side, Hailey teleported away. She was ready to face her friends. Hailey silently promised that no matter what they chose, she could handle it.

But she knew that was a lie.

* * *

"So what's the deal here, Hermione?" Ron asked. "I'll admit that Blubs is very cute-"

The orange slime ball gurgled cutely and slithered up Ron's leg, causing him to smile slightly.

"-but that doesn't change the fact that this place is scary and Hailey brought us here against our will," he finished.

Hermione sighed, "I'm not going to say that was Hailey did was right or justified. Because if I'm being honest, it wasn't. You're allowed to be angry or scared, I was too when I was first introduced to this place."

"How'd you learn about this? Did Hailey bring you here too?" Neville asked, looking at Hermione curiously.

"No, it was my uncle, Hailey's adopted father. I didn't even know Hailey existed until I came here around a year ago. This happened just after I'd received my Hogwarts letter. When I learned I was a witch, I felt exactly like you do now. I was completely out of my depth in the magical world. It was a scary unknown nobody in my family knew how to deal with, except my uncle. He brought us here so we didn't go into the wizarding world blind, and it helped me alot. But I don't think even he considered how traumatic this place could be."

"But you weren't angry at him for doing that?" Ron asked. Neville turned to look at Hermione expectantly.

Hermione shook her head. "No, it wasn't his fault. This place has a way of desensitising people. My uncle has worked here for more than a decade, he's used to it. Just like you're used to magic. Learning about _your _world was just as scary for a Muggleborn like me as learning about Hailey's world. But you wouldn't have considered that, would you? Because McGonagall certainly didn't."

"... no," Ron admitted, sighing in resignation. He slumped forward in the metal chair.

"Hailey is a special case. She was _raised _in this place, and has never really known anything else. At least until she met me. So she's even more detached from any of our definitions of 'normal'."

"But that doesn't change the fact that this was incredibly selfish of her. Surely she understands that kidnapping isn't ok? Or is that not taught here?"

Hermione twirled a lock of her hair around her fingers absentmindedly. "Honestly? No, the SCP Foundation is pretty clear on where it stands on the morality of kidnapping. This entire facility is a glorified prison. It doesn't exactly encourage morality," Hermione admitted, casting her eyes down to avoid Ron's piercing gaze. "It's even worse for Hailey. She's never told me anything about her life before coming to the Foundation, but it wasn't good. You know she _chose _to live here? The Foundation doesn't try containing anything from the magical world, so Hailey volunteered to live in the equivalent of a prison cell over wherever she came from. I suspect her upbringing has caused her to be starved for attention causing her to go to extreme means to keep friends around."

"And Hailey being mentally unstable is supposed to make me feel better?" Ron scoffed at her, but he looked shaken. "I appreciate that her goals were somewhat noble, but the fact that she's willing to kidnap people to achieve them is kinda scary. Why would you even tell me this? I thought you wanted us to forgive Hailey."

"I want you to know the full truth before you make your decision," she whispered, slumping down in the chair in resignation. If they wanted to leave, she wasn't going to stand in their way.

"My decision?"

"Whether or not you want to forget everything and be sent back to your life."

Both boys stared at Hermione, mouths open in shock. Neville was the first to speak.

"They can do that?" he asked, glancing fearfully at the concrete walls of the room. Had he not taken her seriously earlier?

"You mean that I can just leave and forget all about this mess?" Ron said.

"Yes and yes. But you won't just be forgetting about the Foundation. To make sure you don't start asking questions, they'll erase every memory of Hailey from your mind," Hermione explained. "And she won't be able to go back to Hogwarts. They won't allow her to enrol in another magic school, apparently the others are influenced by the Foundation's rivals."

"So she won't be able to leave this place again?" Ron said, his eyes wide with shock.

"They aren't happy with her right now. Saving the two of you caused her abilities to be revealed to outsiders, and that's something the Foundation doesn't like. They're not above keeping an anomaly contained for the rest of it's natural life."

Ron fell silent. He stared blankly at some arbitrary point in space, thinking over his choices. Hermione could almost see the thoughts whirling around in his head. A full minute passed before he spoke again.

He turned to Neville. "What do you think? You've been awfully silent for this conversation."

"I'm not going to abandon my friend. I think I knew this before this conversation began. Hailey was the first person to ever try to be my friend," Neville admitted, smiling slightly at the memory. "She knew the consequences of revealing her teleportation powers to us but she still chose to save our lives last night. Even though this place is terrifying I owe it to her to not leave when she needs us most."

Ron nodded slightly. "You're right. Hailey was wrong to organise our kidnapping, but she was my first friend too and risked her freedom to save our lives. I don't think I could live with myself if I was the reason she was forced to leave Hogwarts."

"Well technically you wouldn't remember you did it," Neville remarked. Ron gave him a light punch on the arm.

"So does that mean you too are agreeing to keep your memories, even if it means having to keep this place a secret."

They each nodded. Hermione couldn't help but leap across the table to pull them both into a hug. Blub shrieked in surprise at the sudden movement, but he soon recovered and slithered off to the edge of the table leaving the three friends to their group hug. She buried her head in the space between them, causing her to miss the faint red blush on Ron's face.

Hermione was the first one to break the hug.

"I'll page Hailey right now," Hermione said as she walked over to a door of the containment unit and accessing the metal console.

They only had to wait a few seconds before the room was illuminated with a now familiar flash of blue light. Hailey stood before them, her green eyes wide and swirling with emotion.

"Hey Hailey," Hermione greeted her. Her cousin nodded politely in return, but her eyes were focused on Ron and Neville.

They stood there in silence for what felt like hours, neither of them having the courage to speak. Finally, Hailey broke the silence with a single word.

"Well?"

Ron drew a long breath to steady himself. "We've been talking, and we've come to a decision. What you did was wrong, Hailey. You betrayed our trust and arranged to have us kidnapped."

Hailey's face fell and her eyes watered slightly. Hermione knew her cousin was fighting back tears now, but she didn't comment on it. This was something they needed to resolve.

"But…" Ron continued. "You've been a great friend to us, and you did save our lives. Plus I think I've become rather attached to the memory of you nearly knocking Theodore Nott off his broom, I'd hate to lose it."

Hailey's face lit up with joy. "You mean you're staying, even if it means keeping the Foundation a secret?"

It was Neville who gave her the answer she wanted to hear.

"You're not getting rid of us that easily!" he grinned at her.

Hailey squealed with happiness. Hermione had to shield her eyes as blue flashes lit the room up. Hailey teleported rapidly around the room in excitement, pulling both of the boys bringing them into a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" she laughed, tightening her hold and gesturing for Hermione to join the impromptu group hug.

She scoffed with mock irritation, but let herself be dragged into Hailey's embraced. Blubs cooed happily and slithered up Hailey to rest part of itself on her head where it began swirling her black hair around itself.

Hailey broke the hug to pet the creature. "I love you too, buddy."

Hermione allowed herself a smile. They made for an odd group. Neville curiously inspected the orange slime that covered Hailey while Ron looked on with an amused expression on his face. Yeah, an odd group indeed. But they were all her friends, and they were back together again.

All was right in the universe.

**A/N: This took way longer than it had any right to. I'll be honest with you, a lot of it was due to procrastination. Though these character-driven chapters are hard to write, dialogue isn't exactly my specialty. But still, it's been like 6 weeks since I updated. And due to some real-life stuff coming up the next chapter will take a while too. But I'll try to do better. **

**I hope I did the characters justice here. Neville played a larger role here, which I think needed to happen. I feel like he'd have a less severe reaction to the Foundation's existence. In the early books, he could be surprisingly brave when his friends were in danger, and Hailey is most certainly his friend. I think he'd be the kind of person to trust her to keep him safe, while Ron would look at the Foundation from a more objective stance and also would be more likely to feel betrayed.**

**Next chapter we return to Hogwarts, after a fairly long in-universe timeskip. We've completed the first arc, the main cast know about the Foundation and now they'll be returning to Hogwarts to fight a troll.**

**Yukine-ren: Cheers, glad that chapter was to your liking. Getting the interactions between characters decent was a real challenge for me, and frankly I think I might've dropped the ball in this chapter. **

**Pinks99: Oh yeah, the SCP Foundation definitely means business. They'll do practically anything to conceal the existence of the anomalous from the public, and for a very good reason (some anomalies get powerful simply by people knowing they exist). Dumbledore knows this, and while he does care about the safety of his students, he trusts the Foundation (Dumbledore is personal friends with one of the thirteen people who make all the Foundation's decisions) and also recognises that he can't really stop them from doing whatever they want. **

**raw666: Wizarding society is ignorant of the existence of the anomalous world, save for a few approved contacts of anomalous groups (The SCP Foundation, Global Occult Coalition, Chaos Insurgency, ect) and some particularly knowledgeable individuals interested in esoteric lore from before the Statute of Secrecy was enforced. Lucius Malfoy may suspect the existence of forces beyond Wizarding or Muggle comprehension, through his family's own history and the interests of a certain dark wizard. But he has no knowledge of any specifics. And he hasn't shared what he does know with Draco. **

**Draco's true motives have many layers. Maybe he only feigned concern to get Hailey out of the way, so that when Filch busted Theodore it would look like she did it, thus humiliating his rival? That would be a very Slytherin reason. But perhaps a part of him did have a genuine concern for Hailey's safety, so he cooked up a plan that would achieve his goals without getting her into trouble? But if this concern does exist, why does Draco feel it? Does it stem from the respect between enemies, or something more? Is he even aware that it exists?  
For the sake of the plot, I'm not going to go too in depth into what Draco truly feels initially. This narrative is from the perspective of Hailey primarily, but also Ron, Hermione and Neville. I'm trying to make their interactions with Draco more nuanced and varied, as opposed to the wholly antagonistic relation that existed in canon. And this requires our protagonists to have a certain degree of uncertainty when it comes to Draco. **

**leetom: Well in that case I'm sorry to keep you waiting. But here it is, Chapter 11. **


	13. Chapter 12: A Bloody Halloween

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners. **

**Fair warning, there's a scene that could be disturbing to people further down in this chapter. It contains graphic violence and could be triggering to some people. If you're not OK with this, I've included page breaks where you should stop and start reading and a summary of what happened after the scene. **

Hailey returned to Hogwarts feeling like she was floating on a cloud. The steps of her shoes echoing off the familiar stone walls was music to her ears. It was like an invisible weight she hadn't even known she was carrying was taken off her shoulders. Hailey hadn't felt this free and joyful in a long time. Even better, she got to share this feeling with her three friends.

The trip back to the Gryffindor dormitories was all a blur to Hailey. Neville told her at one point in time she smiled and waved at Professor Snape, causing him to make a face Ron described as 'absolutely hilarious'. But she was too happy to care. The Gryffindor common rooms welcomed her inside with a warmth she didn't think she'd ever experience again.

Hermione was devastated to know that their little trip to Site 19 had caused them to miss all of Friday's lessons. Even worse, Dumbledore had told the teachers that they were all in a day-long detention for being out of bounds to explain their disappearance, which Hailey's rules-obsessed cousin viewed as a stain on her integrity. Ron tried to reason with her that she hadn't _actually _been punished, but as far as Hermione was concerned a blemish on her perfect record was punishment enough.

The second they entered Gryffindor tower, Hermione had made them all go to their dormitories and bring their textbooks back to the common room. She was convinced to use whatever remained of Friday to catch up on what they missed, much Ron's irritation.

"You _will _sit here and finish this chapter, Ronald. We have a whole day of school to catch up on!" Hermione ordered, tapping Ron's potions textbook harshly. "I am not going to allow you to fall behind on your classes."

"It was only one day," Ron protested. "It's not like I'm going to fail because I missed one potions lesson. Can't I just go to sleep early? I've had a rough day."

"You just slept, how can you still be tired?"

"Being knocked unconscious does not count as sleep!"

Neville made a shushing gesture with his hands. "Can you not be so loud? There are people here."

Hermione and Ron flushed red and glanced around the room to see a group of 5th Years looking at them curiously.

"Sorry," they said at the same time.

Hailey smiled. Yesterday, she thought her world was about to implode around her, yet here she was sitting in the place that had quickly become a second home to her surrounded by friends that finally got along with each other. Everything was good now. Well, almost everything. The knife she'd been given was now tucked into her bag and for some reason she couldn't take her mind off it. Achilles had seen her wrap it in a bit of cloth, but hadn't asked any questions. Hailey still felt guilty about putting the Foundation at risk, but she'd never considered that she would ever have to kill for it. That revelation weighed down on her more than any knife could. She knew her empathy worked weirdly, but Hailey didn't honestly know if she could actually kill even if it was to protect her home.

"Earth to Hailey!" Hermione said, waving a hand in front of her face. "Is anyone in there? What you think we should do?"

Well, there is one thing she would kill for. If anybody put so much as a scratch on these three people, Hailey would teleport them off a cliff.

"Sorry, I zoned out," Hailey admitted. "I'm fine with whatever. A lot has happened, I'm sure we can catch up tomorrow, Hermione. It is a weekend, after all."

"I suppose you're right. I am a bit tired," Hermione said. Looking at the dark shadows under her eyes, Hailey reckoned Hermione was more than a 'bit' tired.

The two cousins bid the boys goodnight and retreated up to the girls dormitory. Hermione glanced around the stairway before turning to Hailey.

"I think I know where that package from Gringotts is."

"What?" Hailey said. Honestly, she'd forgotten all about that grubby little package Hagrid had picked up. It seemed like so long ago now. So much had happened since then she'd forgotten all about her idle curiosity.

"That package from the vault that was broken into last week. I know where it is?"

"And where is that?"

"The forbidden corridor! Didn't you see the trapdoor underneath that three-headed dog?"

"No," Hailey admitted. Much to her embarrassment, she'd even forgotten about that too. "I was more focused on saving you from being dog chow."

"Well _I _saw a trap door beneath its feet. It must be there to guard the package!"

"OK, well that's one mystery solved. I'm off to bed."

Hermione gave her a disbelieving look. "You don't care? There is something hidden in our _school_? You don't want to know what it is?"

Hailey shrugged. "Why should I? The Headmaster believes that this object is safely contained and I trust his judgement. He doesn't intend for us to know the exact nature of the object, and unravelling secrets like this never works out well for anybody. There are some things that should remain unknown."

"Well I am curious. Whatever it is, Hagrid knows about it too. Maybe I could ask him."

"OK Hermione. But please, don't dig too deeply into this. You might not like what you find out," Hailey begged. "Well I'm off to bed. Good night, I'll see you in the morning."

"'Night Hailey," Hermione said tonelessly, her mind surely whizzing with theories about the contents of the package. But Hailey didn't mind, she wanted to be in the cool embrace of her bed.

She was asleep the second her head touched the pillow.

* * *

Hailey allowed herself a moment of sadistic pleasure when she caught Theodore Nott's eyes next morning at breakfast. His face was marred with an angry red mark and there his eyes burned with impotent fury. She smiled back at him, hoping to replicate Grandpa Lawrence's terrifying grin. With the way Nott broke eye contact and turned away, Hailey knew her grin had the desired effect.

"Well Malfoy certainly looks pleased with himself," Ron commented.

He was right. Hailey now turned to look at the other Slytherin boy. He certainly did look pleased with himself. Malfoy seemed to be sitting closer to the head table than he had the past few weeks, surrounded by some other Sytherins she vaguely remembered and talking amicably with an older Slytherin. A blonde girl Hailey remembered from the train was sitting to his left.

Wait, since when did she pay attention to where Malfoy sat for breakfast?

As if sensing her eyes on him, Malfoy broke off his conversation and turned to stare at her. Unlike Nott, his eyes shone with triumph. He gave her a smug grin and turned back to his table.

"Your right, he does look smug," Hailey agreed as they took their usual seats on the Gryffindor table.

"What's he got to be smug about?" Neville asked. "He didn't get us into trouble last night, Nott did."

"I got it!" Ron shouted, his head snapping up from his plate to meet the trio's gazes.

"Got what?" Hermione asked.

"I know why Malfoy told us not to go to Nott's duel!"

Hailey motioned for him to continue.

"He wanted to frame us! Nott didn't tip off Filch, Malfoy did! If we'd heeded his warning, Nott would have been caught and since we didn't show up everyone would think that _we _were the ones that told Filch!"

"A false flag," Hailey whispered.

"I don't know what that means," Ron admitted.

"But why? What would Malfoy gain by making it look like we dobbed on Nott?" Hermione asked.

"It's all part of his campaign to control Slytherin House," Ron explained. "Slytherins pride themselves on their cunning. Nott clearly planned to ambush and overwhelm us then likely claim that he bested us all in combat. But as far as anybody else is concerned, we saw through his plan and got him caught by Filch. Not only did we avoid his trap, we use it to set our own trap. At least, that's what Slytherin House thinks. In short, a bunch of blood traitor and Muggleborn Gryffindors out-Slytherined a Slytherin. Nott's reputation is in tatters, leaving Malfoy as the sole contender for being the Slytherin Prince."

"But we still showed up to the duel!" Neville pointed out.

"And got away without being caught. Dumbledore might have told the teachers we were caught in a forbidden area, but the students likely don't know that. Even if they did, there is no evidence besides Nott's word that we were there. And he has all the motivation to lie and save face. Even if they knew that Malfoy set Nott up, I doubt they'd care."

"Wow," Hermione breathed. "That's… I don't even know what to say."

"It's impressive, that's what it is. He told us exactly what we needed to hear so we'd believe his motives were genuine. Only a master strategist could have put something like this together. I really underestimated Malfoy," Ron confessed. "I think we're going to have to watch out for him now, especially since he's now the bloody Slytherin Prince."

"Is that why he's sitting in a different spot?" Hailey wondered out loud.

Her three friends gave her confused and questioning looks.

"Is he sitting in a different spot?" Neville asked. "I'm pretty sure he's always sat there."

"No he hasn't!" Hailey shouted, her face flushing red slightly. "He used to sit further down the table, and not so close to those third years."

"Hailey, since when did you start paying attention to where and who Malfoy sat with?"

Her cheeks flushed a deeper red. "That's not the point Ron! I just thought that maybe they sat in a certain order to reflect their status or something."

"Maybe? I'm not too sure, but I don't think it matters anyway," Ron shrugged. "One thing bothers me though. Why did he give this victory to us? Wouldn't that just be giving us more prestige? Surely he could have beaten Nott without needing to give us a victory."

"I think I might know," Hailey said, leaping at the opportunity to shift the topic of conversation and save herself further embarrassment. "The Slytherins certainly value cunning and underhanded plans like this, but Gryffindors don't. Beating Nott by tipping off a teacher isn't going to win us any points. We might have even lost reputation because they could think we're cowards. Our housemates certainly haven't been showering us with praise."

Neville's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "Are you sure that hat sorted you two correctly?" he asked jokingly.

Hailey shrugged. "It did nearly sort me into Slytherin."

"All this talk about politics and plans is doing my head in," Hermione grumbled. "How do you two even think this stuff up?"

Ron and Hailey looked at each other briefly and then turned back to Hermione and shrugged again.

Hermione shook her head with exasperation. "Honestly, I don't know why you two can't invest as much time into your studies as you do into theorising why Malfoy ate bacon and eggs this morning. Our grades aren't changed by who gets to give orders in Slytherin. Just leave Malfoy and Nott to their rivalry."

"Look all I'm saying is that we have a serious reason to be cautious," Ron shot back.

"I agree with Hermione," Neville piped in. "Sure it's good to be cautious, but I don't think we should throw ourselves into that snakepit."

"Besides, we have way more important things to think about, besides grades," Hermione said. "I think we know where that package Hagrid took from the vault that was robbed last week is now. It's in the forbidden corridor! That dog was standing on a trap door!"

"OK? I don't see why this is our problem," Hailey drawled, absentmindedly picking at her bacon with a fork.

"Because, whatever this object is, it's either really dangerous or really valuable. And I'm curious."

"Well I certainly hope it's not the former," Ron sighed. "I don't need _two _dangerous things lurking in the place I sleep."

"Don't worry Ron, you get used to it," Hailey joked.

Just then, the windows of the upper hall burst open to admit a familiar swarm of owls. The Gryffindor table's eyes were automatically drawn towards a flock of six large owls carrying a long thin package. Hailey followed the parcel closely as the owls swooped down from the sky and dropped the parcel right in front of him. A letter was taped proudly to the package. She tore open the letter with the help of a kitchen knife and skimmed over the contents, eager to find out more about this mysterious package.

"No way…" Ron said, his eyes widening as he read the letter over her shoulder. "A Nimbus Two Thousand!"

"A _what_?" Hermione gasped.

"It's a broom, a really good one too. I've never even _touched _one!"

"I know what it is Ronald! But why did Professor McGonagall send Hailey one?"

"Who cares! We gotta try it out!" Ron squealed with excitement and turned to Hailey. "Can I have first ride after you? Please?"

"I'll pass," Neville said. "I prefer to keep my feet on the ground, where it's nice and safe."

"Alright alright, let's keep it quiet. It's Saturday, we have the whole weekend to test this broom out. Come, let's go open it outside," Hailey whispered, barely holding in her own excitement.

Unfortunately, Hailey's perfect morning was ruined when they found their way to the Quidditch Pitch blocked by her least favourite Slytherin, backed by his usual muscle of Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode.

"That's a broomstick," Theodore Nott stated with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. Hailey smirked when she noticed a particularly large bruise on his forehead. Filch mustn't have let him visit the Hospital Wing after being caught.

"Excellent deduction skills," Hermione mocked.

"You should know, Potter, first-years aren't allowed them," he said, ignoring Hermione's jab.

Hailey glared at him. "It's Mardas. And yes, first-years aren't allowed them. But you see, I have been given special permission because _I'm _on the Quidditch team. Remember I got a position after I nearly knocked you off your broom and you ran away?"

"And it's not any old broomstick. It's a Nimbus Two Thousand," Ron added. "So now it'll be even easier for her to knock you out of the sky!"

"Do you even own a broomstick, Weasley? Or did your family spend all their money on those second-hand robes?" Nott snapped back.

"Shouldn't you be in detention with Filch right now?" Hermione retorted. "You know, after we kicked your ass on Thursday?"

Hailey giggled as she pushed through the fuming group of Slytherins, holding her broom proudly before her as if to mock them all. "Maybe I'll let you have a go on it one day, Nott. I've been looking for another chance to send you to the Hospital Wing all week."

* * *

Saturday was quickly becoming Hailey's favourite day of the week. After her encounter with Nott, which left all three of her friends wearing grins for the rest of the day, Hailey caught up with Oliver Wood for Quidditch practice. He ran her through the rules of the game, explaining how it was different to the American Quidditch she was used to. Apparently like half the game relied on her being able to catch a small golden ball known as the Snitch. It was tiny and fast, and she had to catch it before the other guy to earn her team an obscene amount of points and end the match. All while avoiding the Bludgers. At least there were only two of them, Americans though the game would be more interesting with three. Still, she would admit that the thought of those metal monstrosities crushing her tiny frame scared her a bit.

This game would be a lot easier if she could teleport.

Two weeks faded into two months as Hailey settled into a familiar routine. Hermione and Ron now got along with each other way more than the used to, which was a pleasant change. Neville still was awfully quiet, but Hailey was starting to realise that he was just a naturally quiet person. Despite Hermione's worries, they managed to catch up on their schoolwork and between the four of them they were excelling in their lessons. Life was good.

Of course it all had to end on the night of Halloween, by far Hailey's least favourite holiday. It wasn't that she hated anything about the festivities, in fact the Site 19 Halloween parties were often a highlight of her year. Dealing with Lovecraftian horrors on a daily basis resulted in the Foundation staff having a very _interesting _take on costumes and decorations. No, there wasn't anything Hailey hated about Halloween. But Halloween seemed to have a lot of hatred for her. Containment breaches, the death of the pet mouse the robotics unit kept in their staffroom, a traumatic event involving a peanut-shaped horror Hailey didn't like to remember. When she learned that her parents had died on this day 10 years ago, Hailey simply added it on the growing list of reasons for hating this accursed holiday.

Halloween just seemed to always have it out for her. And this year was no different.

It had started as a normal day. They ate baked pumpkin for breakfast and listened excitedly as Professor Flitwick announced they would be learning to make objects fly. Hailey paired with Neville which left Hermione and Ron to work together.

The spell turned out to be much harder than Hailey anticipated. The feather stubbornly stayed grounded on the table, much to her irritation. And looking at the table next to her, it seemed like Ron wasn't having much luck either.

"You're saying it wrong," she heard Hermione explain. "You put too much emphasis on the last syllable. Here let me show you."

Ron blushed slightly as Hermione grabbed his forearm and guided his hand through the movements.

"Wing-_gar-_dium Levi-_o-_sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"Alright, I'll give it a try," Ron said as he rolled up his sleeve and flicked his wand. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

The class watched in awe as the feather rose gently off the desk and hovered a few feet above Ron's head.

"Oh well done!" Professor Flitwick congratulated. "Look here, Mr Weasley's done it! Five points to Gryffindor."

Ron's face broke into a wide grin and he gave Hermione a tight bear hug, much to her shock. "Thanks 'Mione!"

Hailey noticed with amusement that Hermione cheeks had a slight red hue to them. She'd be sure to tease her about that later.

Of course Nott just had to comment. Ron told her that he was trying to compensate for being utterly humiliated in the Trophy Room, but that didn't make his crusade to make her life awful any less annoying.

"About time you did something right, Weasel," Nott snapped after they left the classroom. "I'm sure your little buck-toothed girlfriend over there gave you a pat on the back for that!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Hermione shouted, both incensed and embarrassed.

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you'd have hooked up to try and get in with a pureblood family. Maybe then you could finally feel like you belong here instead of in whatever mud hut you crawled from. Fair warning, you might as well just find a Muggle because even they'd be richer than the Weasleys. Cleaner too, but a Mudblood like you would be familiar with dirt."

Neville had to restrain Hailey to stop her from slapping that smug smirk off Nott's face. The knife Agent Kemp gave her was still hidden in her robe pocket. Seeing the tears well up in Hermione's eye, Hailey could imagine the silver blade cutting through Nott's stomach. All it would take is one thrust. Surely the Foundation had enough amestics to cover it up?

"Nice one, did Malfoy command you to say that?" Ron said, leaping to Hermione's defense by going on the offensive.

But Nott continued his attack unabated.

"Defending the Mudblood, Weasel?" Nott remarked whirly and turned back to Hermione. "See, people like Weasel here are the only reason you are allowed to be among civilised people. Without his blood traitor ilk, you'd still be picking around in the dirt of your hovel. Perhaps he feels kinship for your kind? Dirt protects mud, I suppose."

Hermione pushed past Hailey to run away, tears staining her face. Hailey watched in numb shock as she disappeared up the spiral staircase then rounded back to Nott. She bared her teeth in fury and moved to hit him over the head, but her hand was caught by Ron. Neville grabbed the other hand to restrain her. Hailey struggled futilely against the stronger boys and the red staining her vision.

"You want a repeat of the Trophy Room, Nott!" Hailey shouted at him. "When I'm done with you, they'll have to scrape the pieces of you off the walls!"

"Don't Hailey. He's not worth it," Neville said, trying to pacify her.

"I think you need to relearn your manners, Potter. Even these blood traitors knows it's impolite to hit your betters," Nott sneered down at her as she continued to struggle against her friend's grips.

"Go fuck yourself!" Hailey screamed at him.

Nott just chuckled to himself and turned to address his Slytherin lackeys. "Come now, I find myself in need of better company."

He arrogantly sauntered off. Hailey followed his moves with hate-filled eyes, but she stopped trying to wrench herself out of Ron and Neville's hold. He gave her one last smirk before disappearing from sight. The boys waited a minute for her breathing to calm before they released her.

"Why did you stop me?" she shouted at them.

"You were going to attack him!" Neville replied.

"It's the middle of the corridor, one of the teachers might have seen you," Ron reasoned. "And then you would've been expelled for attacking a student. Plus we were outnumbered."

"I could have taken them!" she protested, but she knew they were right. Nott wasn't worth being expelled for. But she wouldn't forget this. One day, Nott would pay for making Hermione cry.

"Should somebody go make sure Hermione is OK?" Neville asked.

"I'll go," Hailey offered. "She's known me for the longest, I'll go talk to her."

That was easier said than done, since Hailey had no idea where Hermione had gone to. And Hogwarts was a big castle. She knew her cousin well enough to know she would want to be alone, so she wouldn't be in the Gryffindor Tower. She'd also be inside and far away from the other houses to avoid running into Nott again. But that still left a lot of castle to search. An hour of searching abandoned classrooms and Hailey was still no closer to finding Hermione. In desperation, she'd even tried to find her gravitational signature even though Hermione would be way too light for her to detect. It must be close to dinner now, and she was still no closer to finding her.

Hailey's saving grace came when she overheard Parvati and Lavender mention they heard Hermione crying in the girls toilets. She rushed up as quickly as she could after a quick thank you to the two girls.

The sound of gentle sobbing reached Hailey's ear before she even began searching the cubicles. Only one of the doors were closed. She pushed gently against it, but Hermione had locked the door.

Hailey tapped the door with her knuckles gentle. "Hermione, it's Hailey. I'm here if you want to talk."

"Go away."

"Come out here and make me."

"Just leave me alone, I don't want to talk with you."

"Look, I know you're upset. Nott's an ass. But you shouldn't let somebody like him make you cry. Remember when we kicked his ass in the Trophy Room? He isn't a person you should be listening to."

Hailey smiled when she heard a snort of amusement from the other side of the door. "Look, I know you sometimes feel you don't belong here, but you're clearly a very capable witch. You've earned the right to be here. Plus, Neville and Ron seem to think you belong here, they both really like you. Remember that hug Ron gave you earlier?"

If Hailey knew her cousin as well as she believed she did, Hermione was probably blushing right about now. Either from embarrassment or something else.

"Teasing aside, you have two good people who think the world of you. No matter what Nott says, we think you belong here and I'd be offended if you'd take his word over ours."

Hermione remained silent. Time for Hailey to use her trump card.

"Hermione, there's nobody else here. If you don't open the door in five seconds, I'll teleport in and give you the most bone-crushing hug I've ever given a person. Your choice. 1… 2…"

Hailey didn't have to count further. Hermione opened the door timidly, allowing Hailey to grab her and pull her into her arms.

"I lied, you're still getting that hug."

Hermione simply laughed in response and gave her a hug of her own. "Thank you Hailey."

"Hey don't worry about it. If it makes you feel any better, Neville and Ron had to restrain me so I wouldn't beat Nott into a paste."

"I'd have liked to see that happen."

"So would I. Now, let's get you cleaned up and we'll head back down to the Great Hall. Dinner awaits us!"

Hailey led Hermione over to the sinks so she could wipe away the redness in her eyes. As she waited for her cousin to clean herself, Hailey began to notice a dull thumping noise through the ground. How odd.

Curiosity got the better of her, and Hailey searched the gravitational waves to find the source. Just as she identified a large mass in the corridor, the door to the toilets collapsed in a shower of splinters and a huge lumbering beast pushed its way through the wreckage.

It was a horrible looking creature. Easily three metres tall, with grey skin that made it look like a giant moving boulder and dragging a gigantic wooden club behind it which probably weighed more than Hailey and Hermione put together. The creature's thick tree-trunk legs lumbered along the ground and left cracks in the tiled floor of the bathroom. It's tiny head swivelled around as it spotted the two girls near the back corner of the room.

"Troll!" Hermione screamed as the lumbering monstrocity swung it's massive club at the duo. Hermione leapt to the left, narrowly avoiding the club which shattered the stone where she was standing.

"Go hide in the toilets!" Hailey ordered. "I'll try and distract it."

She crouched down and pulled out Kemp's knife while Hermione ran into the second cubicle and pulled out her wand.

Hailey jumped up and down and waved her hands above her head, trying to draw the troll's attention. "Over here, you stupid thing!"

The troll turned back around to face her and roared. Perhaps insulting it wasn't the best idea. Hailey didn't have any time to worry about that any further as the giant club was swung along the ground towards her. She teleported out of the way just in time, reappearing behind the troll. Holding her knife in a reverse grip, she swung it with all her strength at the right foot of the beast in what she guessed was the vulnerable part where it's tendons were.

The knife sliced cleanly through the flesh of the troll like a hot knife through butter. Dimly Hailey wondered how it could cut through the stone-like skin so easily, but the deafening howl of pain from the troll brought Hailey out of her musings. She withdrew the knife and backtracked as the troll stumbled around on its still bleeding leg. Hermione crawled under the cubicles, trying to reach the exit without drawing the troll's notice. She almost made it too, but the troll's wounded leg gave out, causing it to fall.

Right in Hermione's path.

It all happened too fast for Hailey to react. One minute the troll was falling, the next the wooden cubicles were crushed under the beast's weight, burying Hermione under a pile of debris. Hailey could hear a faint scream echoing through the room. It took her a moment to realise it was hers.

Hailey didn't know how long she stood there in shocked silence. It was probably only a few seconds, but to her it felt like a hundred years. The stirring of the troll brought her back to painful reality. Her vision went red again, and focused itself solely on the beast that had taken her closest friend away. She had never experienced this level of hatred and fury in her 11 years of life. It drowned everything out, even the seemingly bottomless pool of grief she felt.

As the troll stood wearily back on it's legs, Hailey screached with rage and charged at it, holding the crimson blade in front of her with murderous intent. If she had any capacity for focusing on anything but the endless expanse of rage inside her, she might have noticed two pairs of footsteps echoing through the corridor or even noticed something stir beneath the wooden fragments. But Hailey eyes were only seeing all the parts of the troll she could sink her knife into to avenge her fallen friend.

**[Violent scene begins]**

Hailey teleported the last few metres, appearing at the troll's left and stabbing the knife into its lower torso. She wrenched the knife out brutally and sunk it into the thigh before ducking to avoid it's grabbing hand and teleporting away for distance. The normally blue light was tinged with a crimson hue that made it look like an explosion of blood.

The troll heaved the club above its head, intending to crush her fragile bones beneath its weight. Hailey prepared to dodge, but as the troll brought it's hand down the club stayed where it was in the air. She watched as it levitated higher, positioning itself above the troll's head. Just as the troll looked stupidly up for it's club, gravity brought it back down onto the crown of its head. The force of the impact caused the troll to stumble again. It made the mistake of putting all its weight on its injured leg, which gave out again and caused the troll to collapse onto it's back, knocked out.

Hailey leapt at the opportunity. She teleported onto it's stomach and buried the now blood-stained knife into its neck. Blood spewed from its torn jugular and onto Hailey, but she was too far gone to care. Withdrawing the knife, she stabbed it into the troll's chest and began alternating between stabbing the torso, chest, neck and even the eyes of the troll repeatedly even as the gushing flow of blood became a gentle trickle as she tore into the beast's heart. Her hate-filled screamed turned into sobs of grief. Again and again, she cut deep into the chest of the troll, slicing through bones to tear into organs.

**[Violent scene over]**

**Summary: Hailey attacks the troll after thinking Hermione died by teleporting and repeatedly stabbing it. Ron knocks it out with a Wingardium Leviosa charm on the club which Hailey uses as the opportunity to kill the troll. **

"Hailey!" a single familiar female voice called out to her, piercing the fog of hatred and despair that clouded her mind.

She paused her vicious attack and turned to see Neville and Ron helping a struggling person out of a pile of debris. Her vision was clouded with hot tears and blood, but she recognised the familiar head of brown curly hair Neville was helping.

"Hermione! You're alive!" Hailey shouted with joy. She leapt off the troll to run towards the person she viewed as the sister she never had, but to her surprise they each took a wary step back.

It was then Hailey caught sight of herself in the reflection of a shattered mirror. Still fresh blood covered her arms and stained her uniform. Her pitch black hair was tangled and wild, she could see dried patches of blood staining that too and causing her hair to clump together. She still had her right hand clenched tightly around Kemp's bloodied knife in a backhand grip. Dried blood even caked the left side of her face, surrounding her eye. A coppery taste told her that some blood had managed to get into her mouth. The room wasn't in any better state. Most of the floor was now covered in blood and she could barely even recognise the body of the troll. It's chest was a mangled assortment of flesh and bone and it's neck was practically non-existent.

I look like a crazed lunatic, Hailey realised. She glanced back to the mutilated body of the troll. No, she realised, I _am _a crazed lunatic. Good God, what did I do? They're going to think I'm a monster now.

The adrenaline began to fade, leaving Hailey feeling weak and turning her limbs to jelly. She stepped back away from her trio of friends, trying to look as non-threatening as possible and give them space.

Ron was the first to recover from his shock.

"Bloody hell…" he whispered as his eyes darted from the corpse to Hailey's knife. Next to him, Neville looked like he was about to throw up.

"I'm sorry you three had to see that," Hailey apologised as she stowed the knife back in her robe without bothering to clean it. It's not like her robe could get any more blood-soaked. "I thought you were dead, Hermione. I just lost control of my rage. Again, I'm really sorry you three had to see me do that."

None of them said anything. It's not like there was anything they could say. They didn't look like they hated her, but the sight of this much blood was enough to make any eleven year old nauseous.

The sound of loud footsteps made the four of them look up. The teachers must have heard them. As if on cue, Professor McGonagall burst through the door with her wand held in her hand prepared to defend her students. She was followed closely by Snape and Quirrell.

"Merlin's beard, what happened here?" Professor McGonagall shouted as her eyes landed on what remained of the troll. She turned to see Hailey's blood-covered clothing. "Are you hurt?"

"No professor. It's the trolls blood," Hailey replied.

Snape bent over the troll's carcass. Even he seemed slightly unnerved. Quirrell had fainted the moment he saw the body.

"_You_ did this?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Hailey shifted on her feet nervously but nodded.

"How… why aren't you in your dormitory?" she demanded with cold fury, trying to piece together how a tiny first year had killed a fully grown mountain troll.

"They were looking for me, Professor," Hermione said softly. All of the room's occupants spun around to look at her. Snape stood up from the troll carcass and gave her a piercing stare, like he was looking into her soul.

"I went looking for the troll because I thought I could beat it on my own, because I've read all about them."

When did Hermione get so good at lying? Hailey couldn't recall her ever telling a lie like this to anybody. She's playing to exactly how the teachers perceive her to make the lie more believable.

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Ron used a Wingardium Leviosa charm to knock it out with its own club and Hailey killed it with accidental magic when she thought the troll had crushed me. Neville pulled me from the debris over there. They didn't have time to fetch anybody, if they did I would be dead."

"Well- in that case…" Professor McGonagall began, staring down the four of them. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, why did you think you were capable of defeating a mountain troll on your own?"

Hailey didn't think it was the right time to point out that she had defeated a mountain troll on her own.

"Twenty points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. I'm very disappointed in you," she continued before turning to Hailey, Ron and Neville. "You three were very lucky, not many first-years could have survived a full-grown mountain troll. I'm awarding you each five points. For sheer dumb luck. If none of you are injured, you should go back to your house."

None of them wanted to stay around any longer for the teachers to further question their story. Hailey was just glad nobody realised that she'd brutalised a troll. Well except her three compatriots. Even as they were leaving she noticed they kept a wide berth from her. Though, she reasoned, that might just be because she was covered in sticky troll blood. It smelt nearly as bad as Lawrence's pocket dimension. She was definitely burning this pair of robes.

"Oh Hailey, can you stay behind," Professor McGonagall said just as she stepped out through the ruined door.

Hailey paused and contemplated pretending she hadn't heard her, but she eventually decided to face her. It's not like they could punish her for self-defense, right? She waved her friends on and

"I don't know what happened here or how you somehow managed to kill a fully grown mountain troll and walk away unscathed," Professor McGonagall began, looking down at Hailey over her glasses with cold fury. "But I don't buy Hermione's story of accidental magic."

Hailey opened her mouth to speak but Snape silenced her with a hand gesture.

"Save it. Your hands are covered in blood and the wounds on the trolls leg are too precise to be the product of accidental magic. I only know of a few spells that could do this kind of damage, and none of them are things a first year should know."

"We can't fault you for using self-defense, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall said. "But if I ever hear that you used this magic on another creature or heavens forbid a _student_, expulsion will be the least of your worries. Professor Dumbledore will hear about this. Now, go back to your house."

Hailey left without saying a word, eager to get out of the room. None of them seemed to consider the possibility that she hadn't used magic to kill the troll. But she wasn't about to tell them she carried a weapon on school grounds.

"Oh before you go, I advise you to take a shower before you go into the common room. A long one. Troll blood stains the skin if you leave it for too long."

She glanced down at the dried blood that stained her robes and skin. "Duly noted, Professor McGonagall."

**A/N: A slightly disturbing chapter, I know, but I did say Hailey has a serious dark side. Which manifests itself as a tendency towards extreme violence and sadism. Canon Harry could get angry enough to cast the cruciatus curse on somebody, fanfic Hailey has the Foundation-borne lack of empathy to add onto her natural rage. Please tell me if you think this story is getting too dark, I'll try to not give off the impression that Hailey is a complete psychopath. **

**So Ron and Hermione are friends earlier than in canon. I really liked their relationship in the later books, and I want to show how it is different with the infamous Wingardium Leviosa scene. Hermione is fine with Ron taking the glory and Ron respects and appreciates her knowledge. Ron x Hermione is the endgame pairing for those two characters, but not for a long time since I'm not comfortable with writing romance between eleven year olds. Besides occasional hints and awkward tween stuff. **

**Also, since this is the first chapter at Hogwarts since I decided I was going to be shortening scenes that follow canon identically I just summarised Harry's first Quidditch lesson. **

**Guest: The Foundation reacted the way they did because Ron and Neville were wizards. A wizard is a way bigger security risk than a normal human. Wizards have things like pensives, legitimacy and fidelius charms. It's not enough to administer amestics to a wizard, you also have to make sure nobody else read their mind between now and when you wipe them. What if they've stored their memories in a pensive and then place that pensive in an untraceable location? Reasonably the Foundation shouldn't have been too worried about two eleven year old children, but protocol for Wizards is very different that for normal people. **

**Yukine-Ren: Yeah SCP-999 is easily one of the cutest anomalies. Hope this chapter is to your liking. I tried to thicken the plot a bit, there's even a few hints into how Hailey's power works. And her seemingly normal knife that is somehow capable of cutting through bone. **


	14. Chapter 13: Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners. **

**Would you believe it if I said I've had this on my computer for two weeks but forgot I hadn't posted it? **

Needless to say, the next week was very awkward for Hailey. She'd returned late at night on Halloween with brownish red patches on her normally very pale skin from the troll blood stains. Madam Pomfrey told her the stains would fade in a week or so, but until then it was a painful reminder to both her and the rest of her friends of what happened.

She had to sneak back into the common room in her bloodied robes to change. Some of the older kids who were still awake got quite a fright when she'd passed through with her clothes covered in dried blood. It made her feel unclean, but it was better than sneaking in her undergarments.

Hailey could feel there was palpable tension in the air whenever she was with her friends. They were uneasy around her, which she couldn't fault them for. Hell, even she felt uneasy around herself. That was violent, even by her standards. But in her defense, she thought Hermione was _dead_, and it wasn't like that troll wasn't going to kill her if she hadn't killed it first.

Well, that was _before _Ron knocked it out. Everything after that was just revenge. Hailey had congratulated Ron for that spellwork when she returned, but he didn't seem very proud of himself. He seemed rather queasy, actually. Her friends had sworn up and down that they didn't see her any differently after that Halloween night, but the fear plastered on their faces told Hailey otherwise.

Later that night, a note appeared under her bed from Achilles through the portal she'd had Iris establish. Haiely had assured her father she was unharmed, but that didn't stop her from receiving two more notes from the Psychoanalytics Department who'd made her fill out a questionnaire at midnight. No doubt Dumbledore had told them what she'd done. The lack of any further correspondence made Hailey suspect she'd passed whatever safety test they needed her to complete, but they'd made her take additional hours of tests during her weekend trip to Site 19. She'd been cleared as psychologically sound without much of a fuss. But Hailey had a suspicion that the SCP Foundation's definition of "psychologically sound" was a bit… off.

News of what she'd done had somehow spread to the whole school. At breakfast the next morning, Hailey had to endure a relentless bombardment of questions. Seamus Finnigan wanted all the gory details. He claimed she was now 'totally wicked!' which Hailey suspected might have been a compliment. The Weasley Twins wanted to know how she did it, and a third year Slytherin that gave Hailey the creeps asked her to teach him the spell she used. She had to lie again and say it was accidental magic. Admitting to carrying a knife on school grounds wasn't something she was insane enough to do. Especially since Hailey still had the knife on her. The troll blood had washed off very easily, without leaving a stain. If anything the knife looked cleaner than before. She had argued with Hermione about keeping the knife. Hailey argued that it was useful and Hermione argued that it was dangerous. But Hailey couldn't bear to part with it. This knife had saved her life. A part of her wanted to give it a name.

If there was one positive to this mess, it was the way Nott shied away from her in the hallways. Seeing him stumble out of her way at the sight of the brown troll-blood stains on her skin made Ron laugh for the first time since Halloween night. Hailey had given Nott her best menacing grin, and the Slytherin _flinched_. Hermione scolded her for that, but Hailey could tell she was enjoying seeing Nott scared. She must still be hurting over what he'd said to her yesterday, and Hailey couldn't blame her. If Neville and Ron hadn't restrained her, it might have been him taking the place of that troll.

And he knew it.

Even Malfoy stayed clear of her like she had the plague, even though he tried to not make it look obvious. He walked with the same confidence and had the same arrogant smirk that infuriated her, but it looked just a bit more forced whenever they made eye contact.

But as all things did, the story of Hailey versus the Troll was forgotten in favour of the Hogwarts Cohort's favourite topic: Quidditch. The whole school was practically buzzing about the upcoming Gryffindor versus Slytherin match, which are apparently the highlight of the year. Hailey was glad for the distraction. If there was one thing that made Ron forget about seeing his friend covered in something else's blood, it was Quidditch. Talking to her about strategy for her position as seeker certainly helped renormalise their relationship. Hermione made sure she knew all _700 _ways of committing a foul in the game. And even Hailey's new reputation as somebody capable of brutally killing a fully grown mountain troll wasn't enough to stop some courageous Slytherins from commenting that they'd be running underneath her with a mattress for when she fell.

The day before her first Quidditch match, the four of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break. Hailey sighed happily, the snow-covered stone reminded her of home.

"Bloody hell Hailey, it's freezing out here," Ron complained, rubbing his arms to warm them. "Did you just forget your winter cloak?"

Hailey looked down at her clothes like it just dawned on her that everybody had long since donned the wooly Hogwarts cloak. She shrugged. "I'm not cold."

"You're mental," Neville said. Ron nodded in agreement.

Hermione conjured a bright blue fire in a jar for warmth and the boys huddled around it. Hailey pulled out her _Quidditch through the Ages_ book. It would do her good to know the rules behind this game. She barely knew the American Quidditch rules, let alone the British ones.

"Psst, Hailey," Ron hissed, trying to get her attention. She looked up from her book to see him tilt his head subtlety to the right.

Great, now she had to deal with _him. _

Like a giant bat descending from the castle, Snape strode into the courtyard. Hailey noticed that he was limping. Now, why could that be?

"What's that you've got there, Potter?"

"A book, sir," Hailey replied cheekily. Ron chuckled quietly, but was silenced by a hawkish glare from the potions master.

Snape sighed with irritation. "What _kind_ of book, Potter."

"One that you read, sir."

"Give me that. Ten points from Gryffindor for cheek."

He snatched the book out of his hands and limped away out of sight.

"It was worth it," Hailey declared. Like a dam had broken, Ron and Neville burst out with laughter.

"Honestly you three, must you always antagonise him?" Hermione scoffed.

"You have to admit, it was pretty funny," Ron reasoned.

"Is anybody wondering why he was limping?" Hermione asked.

Neville gained a thoughtful expression. "Now that I think about it, he's been limping for a while now. Since Halloween, I think."

"Well whatever it is, I hope it's really hurting him," Ron said bitterly.

* * *

The Gryffindor common room was annoyingly noisy that evening. Noise wasn't something Hailey had really gotten used to, she'd never been around people this talkative. Most of them wished her luck on Saturday's game. It made her feel good to have people happy around her instead of terrified, but it made finishing her Charms homework all the more difficult.

She was still mildly seething over Snape taking her book. Sure it was funny at the time to annoy him, but now she really wanted the book back. It would be humiliating to cost Gryffindor team the victory on account of her committing one of the several hundred fouls.

Screw it, Hailey was getting that book back. She told Hermione, Ron and Neville she was going to ask Snape for the book back. Or steal it. Whatever worked.

"Hailey! It's just a book!" Hermione said.

"Would you say if it was your Transfiguration textbook?" Neville remarked whirly.

Ron looked at Neville in awe. "Bloody hell, did Neville just make a joke?"

Hermione huffed and turned back to her charms homework. Hailey took this as her cue to leave, irritating Hermione while she was working was never a good idea.

She made her way down to the staff room and knocked. Hopefully they'd be another teacher around when she asked, it would make it harder for Snape to say no. She knocked on the door again, but there was no answer. Maybe nobody was in there? Well, it looks like the stealing option was back on the table.

Pushing the door open slowly to make less noise, Hailey peeked out around the door and was met with the pungent odor of healing potion. Snape and Filch were inside, alone. The potions professor held his robes above, giving Hailey a good view of the bloody and mangled mess that was his leg. How the hell had he been walking with that kind of injury?

"Blasted thing," Snape cursed. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

She closed the door quietly and scrambled away up the stairs. Her book could wait, she'd just learnt something more important. What had Neville said, he'd been limping since Halloween? And three heads? There was only one monster she knew of in this castle with three heads, and it had nearly eaten her friends.

Hailey sighed with relief as she made it through the common room door. Ron approached her immediately, taking note of her ragged breathing.

"What happened? Did you get the book?"

"No, but I found out something I think you guys need to hear," she gestured to Hermione and Neville to follow towards a quieter corner of the common room. "So I made it to the staffroom. Snape was there, with Filch. But Snape's leg, it was absolutely mangled. It looked pretty bad. I think I got out of there before he saw me."

"So that's why he's limping.

"It gets worse. He was telling Filch he "had trouble keeping his eyes on all three heads at once". Three heads, Ron."

"When did you say he's been limping since, Neville? Halloween?" Ron asked, but he didn't wait for an answer. "You know what this means? He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! He's after whatever it's guarding. He must have let the troll in to create a diversion!"

Hermione shook her head. "I know he's horrible, but I don't think he'd tried to steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"I do," Neville chimed in.

"Honestly Hermione, not all teachers are good people," Ron snapped. "I wouldn't put this past Snape. What do you think Hailey?"

She paused, thinking to herself. "I think it means that we'll need to make figuring out what that _thing _is guarding a higher priority."

* * *

The next morning was just as cold as the previous, which suited Hailey just fine. Hopefully the other seeker would get sick and wouldn't show up. But that was too much to hope for.

The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the excited babble of the students looking forward to the Quidditch match later that day. Hailey spotted Lee Jordan tallying up bets from a group of second years outside of the watchful eyes of the teachers. He caught her staring and gave her a thumbs up.

"You've got to eat some breakfast," Hermione insisted.

"'m not hungry," Hailey mumbled glumly.

"Come on, just a bit of toast. You love toast!"

"Toast can go die in a fire. It has betrayed me."

Hailey felt absolutely awful. Only an hour's time, she'd be in the air, getting shot at by the equivalent of cannonballs. And so many people were depending on her to catch a tiny little object to win their house game.

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "You're being ridiculous. You need breakfast."

"Yeah you need your strength," Seamus Finnigan said. "Seekers always get nobbled by the other team."

"Cheers Seamus, I really feel better now," Hailey remarked dryly. Those Slytherins would have no trouble 'nobbing' her. Even compared to the other first year girls, she was on the small side. Achilles called her 'petite' to cheer her up. She called herself short.

"Come on Hailey," Ron began, sliding into the seat next to her. "It's not like you don't have experience beating ugly trolls, the Slytherin Quidditch team should be a piece of cake!"

Hailey smiled for the first time that morning. "Thanks Ron."

"Besides, Lee Jordon's taking bets on the match and I've got three Galleons on Gryffindor winning."

"Ron! Don't make bets on Hailey's game!" Hermione chastised.

"But the odds are bloody unbelievable! You've seen Hailey on the broom, I reckon we'll be heading back to the castle in less than half an hour after the game starts!"

Hailey giggled at her friend's antics.

"What's all this about?" Neville asked as he arrived.

"Ron," Hermione began, scowling as she said his name. "Has bet three Galleons on Gryffindor winning."

"Well yeah, have you seen the odds? I just made a five Galleon bet on the way here."

"NEVILLE!" Hermione shouted.

Hailey bent forward over the table, unable to hold in her laughter anymore. "Well, I certainly wouldn't want you to lose your money," she stood up out of the chair. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a match to win."

She swiped a piece of toast off the table as she left, smiling confidently.

"Told you it would work," Ron said, nudging Neville with his elbow.

"What-" Hermione began, breathing heavily through her teeth. "What did you two do?"

"Ron said that we should both tell Hailey we put a bet on her winning so she'd know we believed in her," Neville explained. "It seemed to have worked."

Hermione seemed to deflate. "So all this, was just an elaborate way to make Hailey feel better? You didn't actually bet on her game?"

"Oh no we totally did that," Ron grinned. "The odds were unbelievable!"

The excited talk of the Gryffindor table wasn't loud enough to suppress Hermione's cry of frustration.

* * *

Hailey held the Snitch triumphantly above his head as the crowd around her cheered. As she touched down, the Gryffindor team surrounded her. Fred and George threw her into the air like she weighed nothing and placed her on their shoulders.

"HAILEY HAILEY!" they cheered, pumping their fists in the air triumphantly.

But Hailey didn't feel nearly as excited as she looked. Far from it, she actually felt rather queasy. That moment in the air, when her broom tried to buck her off, was terrifying for her. She was considering teleporting off her broom when the random jerking finally ceased.

They'd practically carried her all the way to the Gryffindor common room, despite her protests. Apparently the Weasley Twins had planned out a whole party for when (and they were very clear that it was when, not if) Gryffindor won the Quidditch match in the common room. The whole house was there, all congratulating her and the other team members for the victory.

It was late afternoon when Hailey slipped out of the common room to meet her friends for a trip down to Hagrids hut for a cup of tea.

"How yer liking your tea?" Hagrid asked her after they'd settled into their chairs.

"Tea isn't usually my thing, but this is very good," Hailey complimented him. It was true, Hagrid made good tea even if the rest of his cooking left much to be desired. Tea was usually a drink she only tolerated for the sake of her companions. One of the great woes of being raised an American but having three English friends.

"So as I was saying, I think it was Snape who cursed your broom," Ron was explaining. "We saw him muttering and he wouldn't take his eyes off you."

"Creepy," Hailey remarked dryly.

"Rubbish," Hagrid said. "Why would Snape do something like that?"

"We think he tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween, Hailey overheard him talking to Filch about it," Hermione explained.

Hagrid dropped his teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?"

"_Fluffy?" _

"Yeah- he's mine. Bought him off a Greek wizard I met at the pub las' year. I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"

"Guard the what, Hagrid?" Ron asked, listening intently to the large man.

"Now don' ask me anymore," he said gruffly. "That's top secret."

"Yeah but Snape's trying to _steal _it," Ron protested.

"Rubbish," Hagrid repeated. "He's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why did he try to kill Hailey?" Hermione pointed out. It would seem that she'd changed her mind about trusting teachers. "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them. You've got to keep eye contact and Snape wasn't even blinking."

"Enough!" Hagrid shouted. "I don't know why that broom was acting up like that, but Snape wouldn' try to kill a student! Listen here, yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. Forget Fluffy a' forget what it's guarding, that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel -"

"Who's Nicolas Flamel?" Hailey asked innocently.

"Out! Out all of yeh!"

He hurried them out and told them to head back to the castle. The quartet waited until they were halfway there before talking again.

"Well," Hailey began. "I know what I'll be searching up in the Foundation archives if I get permission."

"I'll check the library," Hermione added.

"I can write a letter to my Grandma," Neville offered. "She's friends with Dumbledore, she might know who Nicolas Flamel is."

"And I'll ask my brothers, they're bound to know something about this guy if he's even somewhat famous."

Hailey smiled to herself. Her friends were better than any Site 19 research team.

* * *

The holidays were coming. One morning in mid-December, the school awoke to find the grounds covered in several feet of snow. That Saturday, they'd had a snowball fight on the frozen surface of the lake. Hailey still stubbornly refused to wear any warm clothes.

"I am invincible!" Hailey shouted from her hastily constructed fort, only to receive a snowball to the face by Fred (or maybe George). They'd paused their snowball war to watch the Weasley twins bewitch snowballs to throw themselves at the back of Quirrell's head. Professor McGonagall had punished them both severely for that. Hailey had fled the scene quietly before anybody told McGonagall that she'd got a hit directly on the underside of the turban.

Nobody could wait for the holidays to start. While Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had warm fires, the corridors had become draughty as icy and bitter wind rattled through the windows in the classrooms. Not for the first time, Hailey was glad for her borderline-unnatural tolerance to the cold. The other students looked positively freezing. Even Hermione, who'd managed to place warming charms on the inside of her cloak, was cold by the end of the day.

If the corridors were cold, the dungeons were freezing. Their breath came out as a frosty mist before them. Even Hailey felt a bit chilly down here (maybe she should have worn her winter cloak after all), but she didn't want to huddle as close as possible to her hot cauldrons like the other students seemed to be doing. Snape seemed to have just as much of a cold tolerance and used it to enjoy seeing the students uncomfortable. Hailey wasn't about to give him the pleasure of seeing her cave in. Besides, she was sitting next to Malfoy again and it was especially amusing to see the normally very composed boy shiver.

"Honestly Mardas, how are you not cold?" he said through chattering teeth. She smiled and shrugged in response and went back to cutting up her potion ingredients. Often, not responding to Malfoy was better than any verbal response could ever be.

Her relationship with the Slytherin boy hadn't changed much since the Quidditch game. They still traded insults and bickered with each other on a semi-regular basis, but for the most part they weren't trying too hard to deliberately antagonise the other overly. But Hailey was still on her toes around him, he was a lot more dangerous than she'd like to give him credit for.

Her other Slytherin rival hadn't so much as spoken to her since she'd killed the troll. If she looked behind her, Hailey was sure she could find Nott huddled in the back corner of the room. He left her alone due to a combination of fear and a lack of support within his own house, leaving Malfoy as her sole active nemesis. Speaking of which...

"I do feel so sorry," Malfoy began, after one potions lesson. "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because their parents would rather spend Christmas with family members that aren't disappointments."

He was looking over at Ron as he spoke. Mr and Mrs Weasley were both going to Romania to visit Ron's brother Charlie, which meant he was spending Christmas here at Hogwarts with Neville who was looking for any excuse to miss the Longbottom family Christmas party which were always incredibly boring events filled with a bunch of old wizards making political deals. Ron didn't blame his parents for not spending Christmas here, they hadn't seen Charlie in a long time, but she could tell the comment about not measuring up to his brother angered her friend.

"Shut it Malfoy," Hailey said. "Ron's a way better person than you could ever be."

"Please, he's the least special member of an already disappointing family that needs to hide behind his girlfriend to protect himself."

Ron tried to step forward, but Hermione held him back.

"Am I detecting a hint of jealousy, Malfoy?" Hermione mocked. "Well Hailey isn't dating Ron, so she's available if you're interested."

Hailey's green eyes met Malfoy's grey ones and they both gained identical looks of disgust on their faces.

The blonde girl behind Malfoy who's name Hailey still didn't know stepped forward now and turned to sneer at Hermione. "You seemed awfully quick to deny Weasley had a girlfriend. Maybe you're the one who's jealous? Never knew you liked freckles, Granger."

Hermione inhaled sharply and opened her mouth to shoot back a response, but Hailey cut her off.

"Who are you again?" Hailey asked the Slytherin girl. "Wait, I just remembered. I don't care. I'm just going to call you 'Malfoy lackey #2' for simplicity's sake."

"It's Daphne Greengrass," she replied, emphasising her last name like it was supposed to mean something. "See, one name. I don't need to make up another last name to be special, Mardas."

She clenched her teeth in anger, but restrained herself from showing any other signs of how much the insult had affected her. Hailey took her last name proudly, Achilles was as much of a father to her as any father could be and insulting his name angered her.

If she stayed any longer she was going to attack one of them, and with the way Snape tended to hover around this area Malfoy was likely trying to goad her into snapping in front of a teacher and being punished. The best thing she could do was bow out of this verbal duel.

"Well it's been awfully nice to catch up with you again, Malfoy," she drawled, exaggerating her American accent which was her tried and tested way of irritating the blonde Slytherin. "But we've got classes to go to now."

"Oh, any by the way," Hailey continued. "Ron isn't staying here. He'll be visiting my family in America."

"I am?" Ron asked incredulously.

Hailey hit him in the back sharply. "Yes, you are. Neville too."

"I am?" Neville asked. She hit him in the back too. "Oh, er, yes! Yes I am!" he clarified.

"That Muggleborn hovel in the middle of nowhere?" Malfoy sneared.

She closed her eyes and tried to reach a calm place in her mind. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she turned back to Malfoy.

"Yeah, that's the one. So we'll be going now."

When they were out of earshot from anybody else, Ron and Neville rounded on her with questioning looks.

"What was that all about?" Ron demanded.

"Well I was going to invite you later today, but I thought now was as good of a time as any," Hailey explained. "I don't know, I didn't like Malfoy's gang teasing you guys like that so I wanted to make it look like you weren't staying in Hogwarts by yourself."

"But we _are _staying at Hogwarts, and he's going to know that."

"I wasn't thinking, OK. I know I should have asked you beforehand but the way he insulted you made me so angry I just wanted to stick it to him and that's the first thing that came to mind."

"But you are actually offering us to come visit you on the holidays, that wasn't just something you said."

"You can both stay here if you want to, but I floated the idea to the Site Director and he said I had permission. I think you'll have a good time meeting my family if you come ."

"Your secretive, creepy and _incredibly _terrifying family?" Neville replied sarcastically.

"They're not all like that!" Hailey insisted, but she could tell none of them bought it. "Ok, they are," she admitted. "But once you get to know them they're really nice! I can show you all the cool places of my home. There's this one place where you can get a drink of anything you want. And when I say anything, I mean _anything._"

Ron paused for a few seconds to carefully weigh his options. "Well alright, but no kidnapping! Also, is Hermione going to be there?"

"No, I'm having Christmas with my dad's side of the family," Hermione told them. "They're all Muggles, so it'd probably be a bad idea to invite you two. And Hailey as well, it'll be hard to explain suddenly having another cousin."

Hailey turned to Neville. "How about you?"

"Can't be any worse than listening to my great uncles tell me how much I don't live up to my parents."

Hailey squealed slightly with excitement and pulled the two boys into a hug. "Yes! Trust me, you are going to love the Site 19 Christmas party! The researchers always have the best Secret Santa competition. And every year the SCPs always try to ruin the party, and -"

Ron and Neville shared identical looks of grim realisation. What had they just agreed to?

"- yeah Abel can be a bit of a dick sometimes. Oh and Grandpa Lawrence does this thing where he breaks out these guys from Block E, and then they go around hunting the D Class until -"

Hermione, meanwhile, could barely keep the smirk off her face. It was about time somebody else was dragged into Hailey's madness.

"And last year I broke Lewis out of containment and convinced him to help me hang mistletoe above my dad and Dr Williams. You should have seen the look on their faces!"

**A/N: Well it's been a while. I've started back at uni so I've been pretty busy, but I managed to finish this chapter in less time than the last one which is good. **

**So, now we get to Christmas. Naturally Hailey actually has a home to go back to in this canon, so she isn't going to be spending Christmas as Hogwarts. Neville and Ron are just coming along for the wild ride that is Site 19. Next chapter, they both get introduced to some SCPs. This is supposed to be the beginning of some SCP major characters, namely SCP-053/Alice. **

**Again, I basically just summarised the Quidditch lesson. It wouldn't be any different to canon, so there's really no reason to include it. We all know what happened. Only difference is this time Hailey considers just teleporting away. **

**Yukine-ren: Hey glad you liked it, I wasn't sure if the tone was too dark or not, but I'm glad it worked well with the story. I really enjoyed writing it. **

**Well I personally really liked Ron and Hermione, and due to them having a mutual friend I thought it would be more realistic for them to be nicer to each other. Ron doesn't have such an inferiority complex and Hermione is less abrasive both through the early influence of the other. **

**Perhaps. Though Lucius certainly had his fair amount of cold and calculating. There is an explanation for this that lies in how Draco was raised in this alternate universe, and yes Narcissia does play a major part in this. **


End file.
